


Journey of Dreams

by simplymoa



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), The Sandman (Comics), Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: Character Death, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-09
Updated: 2011-01-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 21:13:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4850753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplymoa/pseuds/simplymoa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam has always believed in following his dreams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_"The first step to the knowledge of the wonder and mystery of life is the recognition of the monstrous nature of the earthly human realm as well as its glory, the realization that this is just how it is and that it cannot and will not be changed. Those who think they know how the universe could have been had they created it, without pain, without sorrow, without time, without death, are unfit for illumination." — Joseph Campbell_

He walked along the beach, gazing at the sun setting along the water, enjoying the feeling of his toes in the hot sand. His hands were in his pockets, his pants pushed up around his knees, and he splashed in the waves as if he was still the happy-go-lucky teenager he'd been so many years before. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, remembering with a sigh. Not that he wasn't happy now or that he hadn't lived a good life. But there was a freedom he'd had then that he didn't have now. That he hadn't had for a long time.

"The innocence, once lost, cannot be regained (1)," he'd once been told. Of course he hadn't believed a word of it. After all, innocence was not something that would be there one moment and vanish the next. Now he knew that the innocence the pale man had been referring to that day so long ago was, of course, the innocence of the heart, the belief that your world was your own, that your life was under your own power.

And once you realize it is not, that you are all part of a bigger plan, that nothing is as it seems, nothing can ever be the same.

He slowly climbed the steps to his house and opened the door, making his way to his couch. Every inch of the house was a memory, every smell a reminder: The first time he heard his voice on the radio, the first time he saw the woman he married, his daughter's first step, his sister's wedding, the first death in the circle of his friends, followed by the next, and the next, and the next.

And now he was the only one left.

His lifetime had been a remarkable one, guided by advisors very few are fortunate enough to know, and he truly believed he'd lived life to the fullest. He had a family, wealth, and yes, as had been impressed on him so long ago, he had been sure to leave his music behind. His art, his writing, the expressions of his imagination would be his legacy. It would live on for centuries to come.

Why had she left him for last? He'd never been the strongest one; he never wanted the responsibility. She'd come for the others, but she'd never wanted him. And all this time, all he had wanted had been her…

He heard a soft giggle from behind him, and felt his heart soar. It was time. "It's good to see you again," he turned to face her, "I've been waiting for you."

****************************************

  
  
_How can you outwit Death? - Priest/Death, The Seventh Seal_  
  
Adam sat next to the bed, Kris’s hand clasped tightly in his. "You're going to pull through this, I know you are," he whispered, hoping the words would help reassure Kris as well himself. Kris looked horrible, his skin as white as the sheet he was laying on, his body hooked up to more machines and drips than imaginable. It was supposed to be a simple surgery, but things had got complicated fast. The doctors nearly lost him on the table. Now all they could do is wait… "Please God, let Kris be OK." He cried, not caring if the nurses outside the room heard his plea. Maybe God would hear him if he asked loud enough.  
  
"I don't think He's gonna answer." A clear, bright voice replied, followed by a quick giggle, "But I'm sure He's flattered you're asking, just the same."  
  
Adam spun around to find himself facing the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her skin was pale white, her eyes black as a dark night, with a black circle spiraling off one eye. Her hair, a matching shade of black, fell loose around her shoulders, not quite covering the large silver ankh that hung around her neck, and she was dressed in a pair of black leather pants and a black tank top. Not exactly the usual attire for hospital employees…not that she looked much like your average hospital employee anyway…How had she gotten in there? Security was tight as hell outside. "Who are you?" He stammered, not knowing what else to say.  
  
The girl raised an eyebrow at him and giggled again, looking past him to Kris on the bed. She skipped over to him and bent down, examining Kris’s face with her nose pressed to Kris’s. "Hmmm."  
  
Adam watched in astonishment, not sure why he wasn't screaming for his bodyguard in the hallway to run in and throw this girl out. Something was stopping him….something telling him she was supposed to be here. She _had_ to be here.  
  
"You really don't know who I am?" She stood up straight and turned around to face Adam again, an amused expression on her face.  
  
"No. And what are you doing to Kris?" He asked, his eyes widening when he saw the color begin to return to Kris's skin.  
  
She shook her head slowly. "It's not his time."  
  
"Did you just heal him?" Adam couldn't believe the words coming out of his own mouth, but there was something very…supernatural about this woman.  
  
She laughed; a musical belly laugh that made his heart soar. "Sorry cutie, I don't heal. I just give and take." She turned to leave, flicking her hair over her shoulder with a flourish. "Make sure he knows how close he came to leaving with me, would you?"  
  
Adam's mouth dropped open. "But, wait, will I ever see you again?"  
  
"Oh, you will," she winked at him. "Everyone sees me at least twice." And with a skip, she was gone, the door closing behind her.  
  
"Adam?"  
  
Adam turned around to find Kris wide awake and reaching for him. "How are you doing, man?"  
  
"Did I hear you talking to someone?" Kris asked, still fuzzy from the surgery, but sure he'd heard something, “Where is Katy?”  
  
"She just went to get some coffee," Adam reassured him, "It's good to see you awake."  
  
"I touched Death, Adam," Kris whispered, his eyes wide.  
  
"You're here now, Kris."  
  
"I touched her, and I lived."  
   
***********************************  
  
_In an interstellar burst I am back to save the universe - Radiohead_  
  
Over the years, Adam would tell himself that he'd fallen asleep sitting next to Kris's bed, and had dreamt up the beautiful woman with the white skin and black hair. He'd asked Kris once about the "I touched her" he'd said after waking up, but he had no idea what Adam was talking about, and denied hearing voices entirely. Adam could only think of one possible explanation for the woman he'd met in that hospital room, and he was happier just imagining the whole thing was a dream.  
  
"Adam?" Tommy poked his head in the room. "Got a sec?"  
  
"Sure, what's up?" Adam waved Tommy in; always glad to talk to him.  
  
Tommy shuffled over to the couch and sat down next to Adam, taking a sip from the plastic cup in his hand before turning a pair of puffy red eyes to him. "Remind me again why I bother dating?"  
  
"Girlfriend problems?"  
  
"No more girlfriend."  
  
"Ah, Tommy, I'm sorry," Adam hugged Tommy tight. Ever since joining Adam’s band, Tommy had never had any luck in relationships, and had come to him utterly crushed more times than Adam could count with the same problems. "There's always someone else."  
  
Tommy groaned. "There are too many someone else's. I just want to find that right someone, like you did."  
  
"It took me a long time to find him, Tommy."  
  
"I'm sick of looking!" He replied in frustration, "Every single fucking time this happens, I swear off dating so it won't happen again. Someone convinces me otherwise and I go out again, then this happens again."  
  
"That's the cycle, Tommy. When it stops, it stops for good." Adam said.  
  
"I want it to stop _now_."  
  
"Don’t be so impatient, Tommy."  
  
Tommy rolled his eyes and glared at Adam. "Will you ever stop being so fucking optimistic about everything?!"  
  
"Tommy,-"  
  
"Forget it, I shouldn't have come." Tommy quickly left without another look back, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Adam sighed heavily, wishing he could have handled that better. He loved talking to Tommy, loved trying to help him. But lately, everything he said to him was the wrong thing…and he didn't know what he could do to make it right.  
  
His worries weighing heavily on his mind, he got out of his clothes and slid under the covers, hoping sleep would overtake him quickly.  
  
**********************************************  
  
_Dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask. - X-Files_  
  
Adam looked around in surprise. What the fuck was he doing in Tommy's house? But nothing was right….there were zombies and monsters coming out of the wall, and Tommy's late father was imprinted on a side panel, somehow. And where was Tommy? He took a cautious step, his eyes turning downward when he heard splashing. The floor had almost two feet of water covering it, everything was soaked. "Tommy's going to get electrocuted." He said in horror, making his way out of the room. "Tommy?" He shouted, moving from room to room, trying to figure out the layout of Tommy's house.  
  
Nothing seemed like it was where it was supposed to be. Everything was wrong.  
  
"There you are," he smiled, spying Tommy splashing around in the pool outside.  
  
"Don't go out there," a stern voice warned him, making him freeze in his tracks.  
  
Adam whirled around to face the man who'd spoken. "Why not?" His eyes widened as he took in the figure before him, with black hair and white skin matching the woman he'd met years ago.  
  
"You're not supposed to be here." The man gestured to their surroundings. "This is Tommy Joe's. Your emotions pulled you here, but you should not be here. He must work through this alone. You cannot help him this time."  
  
"His house?" Adam couldn't help but notice the man was completely dry. Even his dark cloak, which he could see clearly in the water, looked fresh and dry. How was that possible?  
  
The man shook his head again. "His Dream."  
  
"His Dream." Adam repeated disbelievingly. "I think I'm going to walk outside right now, and go home, thanks." And with that, Adam walked to the front door, opened it, and stepped into….  
  
…one of the biggest castles he'd ever seen in his life. He was standing in the Throne Room, and the man he'd met in Tommy's house was now seated in the large chair at one end of the room. "What the fuck?" He gasped, turning around to look at the art and antiques in the room. "Where the hell am I?"  
  
"This is the Heart of the Dreaming," the man said in a booming voice, his arms waving to the castle. "This is the center of my realm, the Realm of Dream."  
  
"Your realm?" Adam shook his head. "This can't be real, I'm dreaming."  
  
"Yes, you are. But I assure you, this is real."  
  
"How can a dream be real?"  
  
"Dreams are real."  
  
"Dreams are real?" Adam said in astonishment.  
  
"Have you yourself not seen dreams come true?" The man asked.  
  
"Well, yes," Adam's brow furrowed as he tried to understand. Becoming a rock star had been a dream, and that had become real. "But that's different...”  
  
"There is no difference."  
  
"Who are you?" Adam asked harshly. He'd had it with this, and now he wanted answers.  
  
"I am known by many names." The man stood up and slowly walked towards Adam, his figure growing more menacing by each closing inch. "Most choose to call me Dream, or Morpheus."  
  
"Dream."  
  
"Yes. I am Dream of the Endless. I maintain order in my Realm."  
  
"Dreams. A physical location, a Realm."  
  
"Not quite physical in the sense you mean, but essentially, yes. You visit my Realm when you sleep."  
  
Adam sat down on the floor heavily, staring up at the man. Dream. Morpheus. Whatever the fuck he was. "I met someone else who looked like you."  
  
"You have met my sister." Dream looked Adam over curiously. "Not many can say they have done that and lived. You must be remarkable."  
  
"She was looking at Kris, my friend."  
  
"And he lived as well?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dream nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he regarded Adam. "Both of you saw her?"  
  
"She touched Kris."  
  
"And he lives…" he said in a thoughtful tone.”My sister is prone to flights of fancy. I am not."  
  
"Who is your sister?"  
  
"You do not know?" Dream asked.  
  
Adam stood back up, amazed to find he still had to strain his neck to look up at the man. "How would I know? She wouldn't tell me."  
  
"My sister is Death." Dream pointed to a group of hangings on the wall. "I believe you did already know that, although you did not want to face what you knew. That’s a common mortal weakness. Those are my siblings, and their sigils."  
  
"How many siblings do you have?"  
  
"I have seven siblings."  
  
"And you each have your own Realm?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"Boss, what are you doing?" A black raven flew into the room and landed on Dream's shoulder, chattering away. "I was out with Luc and we ran into Cane and Abel, they're at it again. We could really use your help, you know." The bird spotted Adam and flew around in a circle. "Hey, who's this? No relation? Because boss, you two could be brothers. But you only got one missing brother, right?"  
  
"Not now, Matthew." Dream waved his hand and raven flew off, still talking a mile a minute. "Please forgive the intrusion. Matthew gets easily excited."  
  
Adam shrugged. A talking raven. Nothing was going to shock him now. What was next - the sleepy hollow?  
  
"To answer your question, I am Dream, and you've met my sister. My other siblings are Desire, Despair, Destruction, Delirium, and Destiny. I believe you've met a few of them as well, although not in as true a form as myself and my sister."  
  
"Your sister said everyone meets her twice."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Adam examined her sigil closely, staring at the complicated design. "I get that you meet her when you die, but when's the second time?"  
  
"When you die is the second time. Life can only come from Death, am I right? You knew her when you met her because you'd seen her before."  
  
"Oh." Adam let the words sink in. Life comes from Death….she'd been standing over Kris…  
  
"I must send you on your way," Dream wrapped his dark cloak around his body, getting lost in the heavy fabric. "However, I will give you the option of remembering this dream, seeing as it is your second encounter with one of us. Think this decision over carefully, as the knowledge you have gained tonight is significant. I have told you all I can of us, and there are questions you have that I cannot answer that will remain with you if you remember these events."  
  
Adam looked at Dream carefully and knew what his decision had to be. He couldn't keep going on blind, not knowing what was out there, could he? "I want to remember."  
  
"Then you shall." Dream waved his hand and smiled slightly, the first time he'd done anything even close to it. "Wake up."  
  
************************************************  
  
_Half night, half day, half sleeping, half awake - Pedro Calderon De La Barca, Life is a Dream_  
  
Adam awoke with a start, sitting up straight in bed. "Holy shit…" he whispered, recalling the events of his dream. So was it real, or wasn't it? He quickly pulled on a pair of sweats and headed to Tommy's room, banging on the door until it opened.  
  
"What?" Tommy was rubbing his eyes. Clearly he'd still been asleep.  
  
"What were you dreaming just now?" Adam asked, hoping Tommy was sleepy enough that he wouldn't remember this conversation later.  
  
"A good dream that you interrupted." Tommy grumbled, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know, I was swimming everywhere in my house.he water felt wonderful, then you woke me up. You shit."  
  
"Go back to bed," he smiled from ear to ear. Strangely enough, it was a relief getting confirmation that he had indeed been inside Tommy's dream. He didn't have to wonder anymore. Now he knew.  
  
"Yeah, fuck you too." Tommy smiled weakly, and closed the door in Adam's face.  
  
Adam walked slowly back to his room, deep in thought. Dreams were real, and they were Endless, with Realms controlling everything. He'd met two of them, and somehow ended up inside Tommy's dream. There was only one burning question in his mind.  
  
How would he get to meet the other five?  
  
**************************************  
  
Adam began keeping a careful journal of every thought and dream he had, along with anything anyone else told him about their dreams. Every feeling he felt, every notion, no matter how strange, ended up on paper, to later be sorted into each of the seven realms Dream had told him about. It was amazing how well life fit into those seven categories. Everything that happened in their lives could, at its very core anyway, be attributed to one or another of them, if not more than one. It was also surprisingly reassuring to know that there were such creatures as Endless out there, a person such as Dream watching over him as he slept.  
  
He still wasn't quite sure about how the whole thing worked, though, and that was what he so desperately wanted…some kind of understanding. Did it mean that if he got horny, it was because Desire wanted him to? Or was it like Dream? Did he in some way end up in Desire's Realm when he was horny? Death didn't have a Realm like Dream did. Or did she? Maybe you went somewhere with her after you died….she _had_ said Kris wasn't leaving with her. Where would she have taken his friend? And what about Destiny? If there was a Destiny, why even bother with the other six?  
  
How would one go about researching the Endless family? He had certainly never heard of them before, and any searches he'd run online had come up fruitless. The mere concept of them existing was something so fantastical he never would have even enjoyed reading stories about them previously. Now he was desperate for knowledge.  
  
After a few weeks of no success, he finally decided to seek help from the one person he knew who loved all things fantasy. No doubt, if anyone would have heard of the Endless, it would be Tommy. He decided to let Tommy in on his secret, figuring that of all people, if Tommy didn't believe him, at least he wouldn't think he was crazy.  
  
One night he sat Tommy down in his room and told him the whole story. He started with an explanation of how crazy he knew the whole thing sounded, and how he just hoped Tommy would hear him out before passing judgment. Much to his surprise Tommy sat completely still, spell-bound for the hour it took for him to recount the tale. He made sure to include every detail, every bit he could remember, hoping against hope that Tommy would be able to help him. When he finally finished he sat back and breathed a deep sigh, examining his bassist and friend closely. "I swear I’m not tripping on anything. So…do you think I'm insane?"  
  
The expression on Tommy's face was one of wonder and amusement when he met Adam's gaze. "If you're insane, I'm right there with you."  
  
Adam's eyes widened, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I thought it was a dream all this time, so much makes sense now….I've met Despair." Tommy said softly, his brown eyes shining with excitement.  
  
"What happened?" Adam couldn't believe it…  
  
Tommy shook his head softly and looked down at the floor. "She touched me. It was….awful. I saw her face; I'd never seen anything more hideous in my life. All I could feel was pity. I pushed her away."  
  
"You dreamt this? What did she look like?" Adam had so many questions to ask. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
Tommy snorted, "So you could think I was high on something or even worse, crazy? I was afraid you would fire me if I told you anything about it. This was when we were touring, after my dad passed away. I was miserable and missing my dad so much …and tired and feeling like there was no end in sight. One night on the tour bus I dreamt of Despair."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I looked in her eyes, and recognized myself in there. The hopelessness I'd been feeling, hating my life, the endless despair. It made me feel sick and I ran away. When I woke up, I felt better than I had in months." Tommy ran a hand through his hair. "That was it."  
  
"What did she look like?" Adam asked again, needing to know if she resembled her siblings.  
  
Tommy laughed, "You know, if it wasn't for that, I would have almost thought I made the whole thing up. But no way would I have imagined this…she looked like a big sumo wrestler, except she was naked, and she was crying - this horrible, pitiful cry that made my stomach turn."  
  
"White skin, black hair?"  
  
Tommy shrugged, "black hair."  
  
"I want to learn more about them, Tommy," Adam confessed. "Ever since I talked to Dream, I've been desperate to know more. How can we go around knowing that there are seven people out there controlling us, and not want to learn everything we can about them?"  
  
"Six."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You told me that the raven said one of them was missing, right?"  
  
Adam nodded slowly. "Yeah…"  
  
"Wouldn't that mean nobody's watching that brother or sister's realm?"  
  
"Brother, he said brother."  
  
"If the brother's missing, who's doing their job?"  
  
Adam looked at Tommy with a whole new level of respect. How Tommy had managed to wrap his mind around the idea of the Endless so quickly, absorb all of this, amazed him. "I'd guess nobody."  
  
"You don't know which one's missing, do you?"  
  
"No."  
  
Tommy bit his lip, deep in thought. "Have you tried talking to Dream again in your dreams?"  
  
Adam nodded. "I can't realize I'm dreaming when I'm dreaming to stop to try. I always remember once I wake up."  
  
"Maybe if we bought a dream book….there are things they say you can do to control your dreams. He said you create your dreams, right?"  
  
"And if I can create my dreams…"  
  
"You can create a dream where you talk to him again."  
  
"And this time he tells me everything."  
  
Tommy grinned from ear to ear. "Find out where we can find this Death chick too, I want to meet her."  
  
"That's sick, Tommy, she's Death."  
  
"So? You're just Adam Lambert, the Rock God. Girls will forget you in no time once Justin Bieber says another word of wisdom."  
  
"Very funny."  
  
"Very."  
  
*******************************  
  
“So what have you been up to these days?” Kris asked over the phone, “Enjoying your free days? Partying?”  
  
“I’ve been reading, actually.” Adam answered as he lay back against the headboard of his bed.  
  
"What are you reading, buddy?" Kris sat down on the couch next to Katy, lightly playing with his wife’s hair as she watched TV.  
  
Adam stared at the cover of the book in his hand. "It's about becoming self-aware in your sleep."  
  
"Becoming what?"  
  
"Realizing you're dreaming when you're dreaming, so you can control them."  
  
Kris smiled. "I've done that once, by accident."  
  
Adam nodded, even though Kris could not see him over the phone, "According to this book, everyone does it once or twice in their life. But this guy says that if you practice, you can do it intentionally -.just that some people can do it easier than others."  
  
"So you're trying to do that?"  
  
"Why not, right? It's pretty neat." Adam shrugged. How much he wished he could confess the true reasons behind his exploration of dreams, the growing obsession that was consuming both him and Tommy at a rapid pace. "Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course." Kris stood up from the couch and walked outside, sitting on the swing on the porch of the house he shared with Katy, "Something wrong, Adam?"  
  
Adam shook his head slowly, "Just been thinking." He sighed, "You believe God controls your life, right?"  
  
Kris nodded slowly, "I don't know if I'd use the word control, but He is my strength."  
  
Adam bit his lip, thinking deeply; a habit he'd picked up recently from spending so much time alone with Tommy. Death had mentioned a 'He', and certainly had made it sound like a God existed. But if there was a God, why were there the Endless? "What would you say if someone said there was no God?"  
  
"God's in your heart," Kris touched his chest with a smile. "It doesn't matter what anyone else says."  
  
Adam didn't answer, just considered Kris's words.  
  
"That's what faith is, Adam. Are you looking for God in your dreams?" He asked softly, wishing he could reach out through the phone to his good friend.  
  
"No," Adam shook his head smiling. "Definitely not God."  
  
"He's out there, Adam, always watching."  
  
Adam nodded in reply, wondering what Kris would say, if he told Kris that God wasn't the only one watching.  
  
**********************************  
  
"It's not working," Adam told Tommy in frustration two months later, having tried without success to become aware within his dreams every night so far. "I don't understand why it's so hard."  
  
"What if we tried together?" Tommy asked.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, last time, Dream showed up because you were in my dream, where you weren't supposed to be. What if that happened again? Did he tell you how you ended up there?"  
  
"Just that my emotions pulled me there." Adam recalled.  
  
"What had you been thinking about before you went to sleep that night?" Tommy questioned.  
  
Adam smiled slightly. "You. You'd been upset about something, and I was worried about you."  
  
Tommy grinned. "Worrywart."  
  
"Yeah, well, I had reason to."  
  
"So maybe that's the trick? You fall asleep thinking about me, I fall asleep thinking about you. We end up in the same dream, and he has to come fix it again?"  
  
Adam shrugged, "Can't hurt to try, right?"  
  
"Exactly." Tommy looked at Adam closely. "You know, I'm glad you told me about this."  
  
"Me too," Adam smiled. He'd grown even closer to Tommy over the last few months because of their shared interest in the Endless. For a while there, they'd been moving apart, and it was a relief to have him back.  
  
"Do you ever wonder how much they've controlled our lives?" Tommy asked. "What we've done that has been us, and what's been them?"  
  
"Every single day." Adam nodded. Ever since Dream had pointed out that dreams came true, he'd wondered who exactly made those dreams come true. Was it the person in the dream, or the creature who ran the Realm of Dream?  
  
"Here," Tommy handed Adam some herbal sleeping pills. "It's easier falling asleep this way."  
  
Adam nodded and swallowed the pills, curling up on the bed next to Tommy. "Goodnight, Tommy."  
  
Tommy slid under the covers and rolled over in bed, ready to sleep. "Night, Adam. See you in your dreams."  
  
***********************************  
  
Adam looked at his surroundings with a chuckle. He had to be in Tommy's dream. About ten feet away from him was, well, it had to be the sleepy hollow; a guy without a head, dressed in a butler's uniform wearing wire-frame glasses, and reading a book of William Shakespeare. But still, something Tommy had to have imagined. "Tommy?" He called, walking around, not noticing the headless man stop to stare.  
  
"Adam!" Tommy ran into him breathless, staring behind him. "Is this your dream? What the fuck is this?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Adam put his hands on Tommy's shoulders and steadied him. "What happened?"  
  
"This girl was walking in front of me. I thought she was a really young female version of Brad or you were just dreaming about him," Tommy made a face, "You used to be in love with him, I remember."  
  
Adam rolled his eyes, "Yeah, so I did."  
  
"But then she turned around to look at me and melted." Tommy shook his head in frustration, "No, that's not the right word to use. But she just…changed right before my eyes."  
  
"So she didn't look like Brad anymore?"  
  
"No, she still sort of did," Tommy noticed the headless man standing across the room and gave a start, "Whoa! Adam, did you see?"  
  
"Yes, I saw. I thought he was from your dream."  
  
"No way! This isn't mine."  
  
"This is mine." A booming voice said from behind them, and they both spun around in surprise.  
  
"You like sneaking up on people like that, don't you?" Adam asked, recognizing Dream standing before him.  
  
"You once again are where you are not welcome." Dream replied, coolly examining Tommy. "And you brought another mortal."  
  
"This is Tommy."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Hi," Tommy waved, unsure of how else to react to this intimidating man.  
  
"We have questions." Adam said calmly.  
  
"It is not your place to ask." Dream turned his gaze to Adam's, his black eyes boring into his blue ones. "The arrogance of mortals will never cease to amaze me."  
  
Across the room, the headless man chuckled, and slammed his book shut.  
  
"Luc, come over here," Dream waved to the sleepy hollow who quickly made his way over. "Care to tell my two young friends here about the last mortal who came to us wishing to know all there was to know about the Endless?"  
  
"Will Shakespeare, you mean?" Luc looked at Dream curiously.  
  
 “Shakespeare?" Tommy stared at Luc, eyes wide. Had the headless man just said William Shakespeare?  
  
"Yes sir," Luc replied. "Morpheus here and Will were old buddies, were they not?"  
  
"William Shakespeare learned that everything has a price including knowledge." Dream said slowly. "You come here seeking that same knowledge. Are you two his equal?"  
  
Tommy pointed at Adam. Equal to William Shakespeare? "Well…he has platinum records…"  
  
"What is your definition of equality?" Adam looked Dream over just as calmly. He was learning how to play this game, how to play this verbal battle of skill to get the information he wanted. "As children, we are taught that all men are created equal."  
  
Dream laughed, a deep, tumultuous sound that seemed to make the sky tremble. "Words are meaningless. I ask of equality of the mind, of the spirit."  
  
"You say that mortals don't see your siblings. Both Tommy and myself have, as has my friend, Kris. We have made our dreams become a reality, as did she. Surely that means we possess something others do not."  
  
"Every mortal has the ability to make their dreams reality. Without that possibility, there is no hope."  
  
"Not everyone does on the level he did,” Tommy once again pointed at Adam.  
  
"Monetary success is meaningless," Dream waved off the suggestion as ridiculous. "Throughout time, people are not remembered for their wealth."  
  
"He will be remembered for his music." Tommy shot back.  
  
"Who was that girl that Tommy saw?" Adam blurted out, unable to keep quiet any longer.  
  
"What girl?" Dream's head whipped around to stare at Tommy.  
  
"The red, green and yellow haired sparkly girl?" Tommy said with a slight grin. "I'm sure I'm forgetting some colors, they kept changing…"  
  
Dream shook his head slowly and turned to Luc. "Will you find my sister? I don't want her getting lost in the clouds again."  
  
"Yes Sir." Luc turned and ran off, leaving Tommy and Adam staring at him as he left.  
  
"Your sister?" Adam asked.  
  
"That was Delirium, she is my youngest sibling."  
  
"She looked like a little girl."  
  
"I assure you, she is older than your mind can comprehend." Dream stood up straight and examined the two of them closely. "You say you come here seeking knowledge. What have I to gain by giving you this knowledge? Most mortals do not know of my Family for reasons even a fool can see."  
  
"What reason had you for telling William Shakespeare?" Adam asked.  
  
"His plays amused me." Dream replied evenly.  
  
"Have you heard Adam’s music?"  
  
"I have no use for modern noise."  
  
"You should let him sing for you," Tommy told him, a smile on his face. Singing, Adam could do and he could do it well. "I can play guitar if you have one around. If our music amuses you, then tell us what we want to know."  
  
Dream raised one thin eyebrow and stared at Tommy. "Tommy Joe, you must learn patience. You may play music for me, and if I am amused, I will explain some of what you wish to know. But do not fight your youth. The innocence, once lost, cannot be regained."  
  
Tommy nodded slowly, not entirely grasping the meaning behind the man's words.  
  
"She was looking for dandelions on the border, Sir," Luc walked back into the room, dragging a small, scruffy-looking woman behind him, who indeed, strongly resembled Brad.  
  
"Brother…" she whispered, shuffling over to him, her shoes hanging off her feet. Her dress was tattered and torn, her hair tangled and as Tommy had described, kept changing color. She seemed to change shape as well, her legs more morphing than moving across the floor as she walked.  
  
"What are you doing here, my sister?" Dream bent down to look at his sister with a curious smile. "You have dandelions in your Realm."  
  
She pointed to Tommy, then stared wide-eyed at Dream, oblivious to the polka dotted butterflies that started flying around her head when she looked back at Tommy. "He's not…"  
  
"No." Dream shook his head, and patted his sister's head lightly. "You should get back."  
  
"Are you sure?" Delirium shuffled over to Tommy and yanked on his shirt, grinning at him from ear to ear. "Do you like the mandolin?"  
  
Tommy couldn't help but laugh, she looked like a little girl who just wanted to play.  
  
"I play guitar."  
  
The girl's eyes bugged out from her head at Tommy's answer, and she exploded into a mass of butterflies, scattering every which way. They flew off into the darkness, a laugh echoing in their ears.  
  
Tommy's mouth hung open in surprise at what he'd just seen and he turned to Dream for an explanation. "Did I say something wrong?"  
  
"No." The man shook his head, and gestured to the front door to the castle. "Come inside, and I will explain."  
  
********************************  
  
_“Every truth has two sides” - Aesop_  
  
They settled down at a large table, Dream at one end, Tommy and Adam on the other side. "That was my sister, Delirium."  
  
"I think we figured that much out," Tommy said sarcastically. His patience was running a little thin with this guy…he'd just seen a woman's head explode, and he wanted an explanation now.  
  
"She does not have complete control over her form and when she gets emotional which, unfortunately, is often, she reacts as you saw there."  
  
"But why did she react to Tommy like that?" Adam asked. The butterfly thing had actually been kind of neat to see although he was glad she did it right in front of Tommy's face, not his.  
  
"You strongly resemble my brother." Dream looked at Tommy steadily.  
  
"Oh, I can see the resemblance, sure." Tommy snorted. "Are you insane? Adam here. Not me."  
  
"Only my sister and I look alike. You have met both Despair and Delirium, did they resemble us?"  
  
"Good point."  
  
"We have been searching for my brother for a long time. For a moment there, she thought you were him."  
  
Tommy took a deep breath. "Wow! So I look like one of the Endless. That's kinda cool."  
  
"Which one?" Adam interjected. "And if he's gone, does that mean nobody's running his realm?"  
  
Dream nodded slowly and clasped his hands in his lap. "Yes, that's correct. Destruction left us a long time ago, and you have seen the results of his absence."  
  
Adam couldn't help but laugh, "Tommy looks like Destruction?"  
  
"Yes." Dream replied curiously, looking at Tommy. "You are unique."  
  
Tommy returned the stare, amazed by the black in the man's eyes. "How so?"  
  
Dream tilted his head and frowned. "If you do not remember, it is because your mind is not ready to do so. In time, you will."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You promised to answer questions if I sang for you." Adam reminded him. "Can I do that?"  
  
Dream nodded and gestured to the front of the room. "By all means."  
  
Tommy and Adam rose and made their way to the mock stage, whispering as they talked about the song choice. They finally decided on ‘Mad World’, figuring Dream looked like the kind of guy who might be able to identify with the song. As Tommy requested, there was a guitar for him on the stage. Adam sang his heart out, his voice joining in harmony with the sound of the guitar as they never had before, their eyes locked into one another as they put as much feeling as possible into the song, knowing how much was as stake if they performed it well. When they were done, they returned to their seats and awaited their critique.  
  
Dream was staring at them through bright eyes, his expression blank. "I have never before heard music such as this."  
  
"It's called rock." Adam told him.  
  
"It is beautiful." Dream said thoughtfully, looking from Tommy to Adam and back again. "It is the beauty of things like this that restores one's faith in humanity."  
  
"Now will you tell us what we want to know?" Adam asked.  
  
"What is it you want to know?"  
  
"I want to meet Death." Tommy said excitedly.  
  
"Tell me about Destiny." Adam said at the same time.  
  
Dream turned to face Tommy with an amused expression. "I cannot call my sister to appear for you, and I assure you, although many have tried, none have ever been successful in doing so. Not without ending their life. That way, of course, she will always come." He turned his gaze on Adam. "What is it you wish to know about my brother?"  
  
"How does it work?"  
  
"Destiny reads from the Book of Life." Dream replied.  
  
"So our destiny is written, everything is preordained." Adam said with a sinking feeling. That had been the answer he'd been dreading…  
  
Dream shook his head, "You misunderstand me. Destiny reads the Book. But the Book is written as he turns the page. He does not write the book."  
  
Adam's eyes narrowed. "So I control my own destiny."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"What about Desire?" Tommy asked.  
  
Dream turned back to Tommy. "I suspect you have met Desire as well."  
  
"I have?"  
  
He nodded slowly, hoping against hope that what he suspected had occurred had not. Not again….it had been enough of a mess last time. "I see the touch of Desire on you."  
  
"Tommy's always been the most favorite member of my band," Adam joked lightheartedly, uncomfortable with the look of dread on Dream's face at the moment.  
  
"Yes." The man nodded again. "Being desired by all is something many men wish for."  
  
"I never wished for it." Tommy defended himself. "I'm not complaining but I didn't ask."  
  
"And what do you desire, Tommy?" Dream asked him, eyebrow cocked.  
  
Tommy's eyes widened and he caught his breath at the name that popped into his head at the question, not daring to say it out loud. Death. He'd never seen her except in fantasy, only heard of her in stories, but he knew what he wanted. Her.  
  
"I thought so." Dream sighed. "You must return to your world now."  
  
"I have more questions." Adam protested.  
  
"We shall meet again," Dream reassured him. "I must warn you, do not come looking for me again. You do not know the consequences of your actions when you travel throughout my realm like this and you always run the risk of getting lost."  
  
"Then how will we talk to you again?" Tommy argued. "You never came to us…"  
  
Dream stood up and handed each of them a small locket. "With this. Open it and say my name and you will dream a dream of me that night. You may do this together, or separately, but only once per locket."  
  
Tommy slipped the locket around his neck and clasped it tight in his fist. "Thank you."  
  
"Perform for me another day as my thanks." The man waved, and gestured in the air with his cloak. "Now wake."  
  
  
*****************************************  
  
Tommy sat down in the park, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt around his face, hoping against hope he wouldn't be recognized. One of Adam’s bodyguards sat a respectable distance away, trying to give him some privacy.  
  
Things had been tough on him lately, Adam was married now and had a daughter at home to take care of, and everyone was becoming more and more involved with other projects or starting their own families. Even Brad had started talking marriage, and Isaac had been with the same woman for nearly a year now, surely a record for him. Everyone except Tommy who was haunted by the image of a woman with black hair and porcelain skin. She was the one he wanted, but he didn't know how he would ever find her. Not until the moment he died, and he wasn't ready to do that yet, even if it did mean seeing her.  
  
"Nice necklace," a woman sat down next to him, gesturing to the chain around his neck.  
  
Tommy looked down in surprise, seeing the locket had popped out from his shirt. With a soft thanks he tucked the locket away. It was not the kind of jewelry one wore for decoration.  
  
"I haven't seen one of those in a long time," she said thoughtfully.  
  
Tommy's eyes narrowed and he looked at the woman closely. "What?"  
  
"I said it's been a long time since I've seen a locket like that." She returned his gaze from behind a thick pair of glasses, her long brown hair falling into her face as she spoke. "Not many mortals possess them."  
  
Tommy gasped, "What do you know about this locket?"  
  
She looked around them quickly and shook her head. "I will tell you what you wish to know, but not here." She gave him an address, and told him to meet her there in an hour. "Tell no one of our meeting, and come alone."  
  
Tommy nodded and watched the woman walk off, wondering who she was. How she knew what his locket was…and what on earth was it doing outside his sweatshirt anyway? He _always_ made sure to keep it hidden; it was easier to hide it than to have to explain it to people. God forbid anyone notice Adam wearing the same necklace...  
  
An hour later, he knocked on the door of an old house, not surprised when the door splintered under his touch. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello," the woman he'd met in the park opened the door and waved him inside. "Please come inside."  
  
"Who are you?" Tommy asked her, looking at the shabby décor of the apartment.  
  
"That is not important," she shrugged, and settled into a rocking chair in the center of the room. "You may call me ‘Thessaly’."  
  
"Thessaly," Tommy repeated, enjoying the way the name rolled off his tongue. "How did you know what my locket was?"  
  
"As I said, it had been a long time since I'd seen one. But I would recognize Morpheus' work anywhere." Her voice took on a tone of admiration when she spoke of him. "You have had an encounter with him, not many mortals have."  
  
"He left us with more questions than answers."  
  
"That is his nature." Thessaly shrugged and gestured to a deck of Tarot cards sitting on a table nearby. "Like the cards, there is truth in what you hear, but it is all open to interpretation."  
  
"How do you know him?"  
  
"Oh, we go way back," she said with a wave. "That whole family," she shuddered.  
  
"Have you ever met Death?" Tommy asked softly.  
  
Thessaly's eyes widened to two large circles under the thick glasses. "Death? Now why would you ask about her?"  
  
"I want to meet her." He replied.  
  
"You have."  
  
"Again. When I'm older than a second."  
  
"You will."  
  
"Before I die."  
  
"It doesn't work that way for mortals," Thessaly shook her head. "You take what you get."  
  
"Adam got to meet her!"  
  
"Lucky Adam," she said sarcastically. "Who's he?"  
  
"He has one of these too," Tommy held up the locket.  
  
"Who else did you meet?"  
  
"From the Endless?"  
  
She nodded a reply.  
  
Tommy bit his lip, thinking. "Death, Dream, Delirium, and Despair. Dream said something about me being touched by Desire, and I guess I look like Destruction, but that's it."  
  
Thessaly rubbed her chin thoughtfully, looking Tommy over. "I can see how you've been touched by Desire."  
  
Tommy frowned from the examination, "What does that mean, I've been touched by Desire?"  
  
"You're an extremely attractive man." Thessaly said.  
  
Tommy shrugged in reply.  
  
"Supernaturally attractive, one might say. Such attraction could possibly have helped lead to your professional success, could it have not? If women and men did not desire you as they did…"  
  
"That's bullshit," Tommy frowned. "They like Adam. They like his music. And how do you know who I am? I never told you…"  
  
"I know." Thessaly replied with a smirk. "And you underestimate the power of desire. There is nothing evil or wrong with it. It is merely another realm, another facet of emotion. If Desire is what made you a success then I suggest you thank her if you ever meet her. Or him. Whichever he is that day."  
  
"I never asked for it…"  
  
"Nobody ever does," She replied evenly. "But it is written."  
  
"The Adam Lambert journey was written." Tommy snorted. "Why do I doubt pop music is part of the grand scheme of life?"  
  
"Everything is written." Thessaly leaned forward in her chair to look at Tommy closely. "Every single thing you do every single moment of every day has a purpose. The end result of that purpose may have nothing to do with you in the end, but there is a purpose. Don't ever presume to know what that purpose is; you'll only be played for a fool."  
  
"So what? I'm supposed to just live my life, hoping I'm doing the right thing for this big reason?"  
  
"You don't need to know the great reason for everything, just that you fit into it somewhere. Everyone does although I suspect you and your friends may more than others."  
  
"The band? Or Adam’s circle of friends?"  
  
"Both." She said. "You have been touched by Desire, and you tell me someone in your circle has been touched by Death. Two of you possess lockets from Morpheus and your resemblance to the missing Endless is striking.”  
  
Tommy shrugged. "Aside from Adam and me, I don't think the rest of us know anything about this. I _know_ Kris doesn't, even though he saw Death."  
  
Thessaly sat back and considered Tommy's words carefully. "The Family has taken an interest in your little family. That much is plain to see."  
  
"How do we find them again? I want to know more."  
  
She laughed, an evil-sounding cackle that sent shivers up Tommy's spine. "They find you."  
  
"But I want to see Death."  
  
Thessaly shook her head slowly. "You do not."  
  
"I do!" Tommy protested. "Ever since Adam mentioned her to me, I've wanted nothing else….I look all over for girls that fit her description, trying to find someone who could possibly fit. I want her, and it's driving me nuts."  
  
She smiled wryly and looked at Tommy, "You can have any woman you want. Must you fixate on the one you can never touch?"  
  
Tommy rolled his eyes, "You said I've been touched by Desire. Why won't she desire me, then?"  
  
"The Endless have a sense of humor." Thessaly said as an explanation after a pause. "You must leave." She stood up and gestured to the door, suddenly seeming uncomfortable with Tommy's presence.  
  
"But wait, I want to know more." Tommy argued, begging the woman to help. "Please, nobody else knows anything about them."  
  
"You will see me again," She reassured him, gently pushing him to the door. "I will keep an eye on you."  
  
"But…" Before Tommy realized what had happened, she'd pushed him out the door and shut it behind him. When he turned around to look back at the old decrepit house, it was gone.  
  
******************************************  
  
"You should not have done that."  
  
Thessaly returned from the door to her seat, and turned to face the man standing in the corner. "Why not? Your family is playing with these mortals; why not show them some guidance?"  
  
"All you did was create more confusion." Dream stood up and walked to Thessaly, glaring down at her. "You know better."  
  
"He's a mortal, in love with an Endless. I can sympathize." She snickered, and sat down in her chair, not intimidated by the other man. "Desire's done it again. I thought Death would have taught her a lesson after last time…"  
  
"He has been touched by Desire. Such blessing comes with a cost."  
  
"A love he cannot have?" Thessaly's eyes blazed in anger. "You and your family play with these mortals, wreak havoc on their lives, and claim it's all for the greater good. Do you think this boy would have chosen eternal unrequited love in return for desirability, if given the choice?"  
  
"The choice was not his to make."  
  
"Should it not have been his?" She shook his head, "One day, one mortal will not stand for this, and that will be your downfall."  
  
Dream scoffed at the woman's words. "I have had no hand in this boy's life."  
  
"No?" She looked at him disbelievingly. "He dreams of Death."  
  
Dream frowned, "His creation."  
  
"You have the power to stop them. It's torture."  
  
"I cannot interfere."  
  
"Of course you can."  
  
"I will not."  
  
Thessaly stood up and waved at him. "Fine! Did you come here just to tell me to leave the boy alone?"  
  
Dream nodded solemnly. "Leave them all alone. Your interference in these affairs is not welcome."  
  
Thessaly smirked. One of these days her interference in one of these affairs would bring him down. And then she would rejoice. "Thanks for the warning, Morpheus. Until we meet again…"  
  
"May it be a long time coming, Thessaly."  
  
****************************************************  
  
Nearly a week passed before Tommy was able to get Adam alone and tell him about his encounter with the strange woman. "She said she would keep an eye on me," he finished, looking to the taller man for counsel.  
  
Adam sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "Was Thessaly human?"  
  
Tommy shrugged. "I have no idea."  
  
"And you said the house was gone when you looked again?"  
  
He nodded slowly. "I know I hadn't imagined that house, though."  
  
"No, I imagine you didn't," Adam mused. At this point, nothing could surprise him, not even a house disappearing the instant a man walked out of it. "I wonder how we could contact her. You think she knows more than she told you?"  
  
"She certainly made it seem like she did." Tommy's hand clasped round the locket on his neck. "We could always call him."  
  
Adam shook his head as his hand grabbed his own locket, feeling its reassuring weight around his neck. "No. If you learned anything from that woman, you learned that these lockets are special. We have to save them until we absolutely need them."  
  
"Then how are we going to find them? How am I going to find her?" Tommy jumped up with a start at the knock on the door. "Shit! What…..?" he peeked his head out to find his bodyguard pointing to his watch. "Oh, Adam, we're late."  
  
Adam stood up with a groan and followed Tommy out the door, "We'll finish this later."  
  
The two men waited behind the bodyguards in a corner of the hotel lobby for the all-clear then walked through the open area quickly, their bodies sheltered by the larger men. The moment they were spotted, a swarm of girls appeared as if from out of nowhere, pens and pictures being shoved in their faces for signature.  
  
Adam and Tommy both tried to be cordial, signing something for one girl here, for another there, but they both continued steadily on their path, quickly getting into the waiting car outside and leaving.  
  
Neither of them recognized the woman with the thick glasses, grinning from ear to ear as she held the autograph in her hand.  
  
******************************************  
  
Thessaly watched the men walk away, and looked at Adam's signature in her hand; the power of a signature, of that little piece of script. If only he knew…  
  
She'd been grossly underprepared for her encounter with Tommy the week before and was still beating herself up for the mistakes she'd made. She'd assumed he was just a simple mortal who had caught Morpheus' eye, and cursed herself for not examining him more before approaching him. Now she knew better, of course. Her eyes lit up as she saw the girls run towards a beautiful man wearing sunglasses, emerging from the elevator banks. Once she asked a few girls around her about him and discovered he was Brad, Adam’s ex and one of his closest friends who had come to spend a few days with his friend. Thessaly joined the fray, grinning wickedly when she saw the man stop to chat for a bit. "Hi," she giggled like the girls around her, handing the man in sunglasses her picture of Adam for him to sign.  
  
"What's your name?" He looked at Thessaly over the tips of his sunglasses. Thessaly looked strangely familiar to Brad, for some reason.  
  
"Thessaly." She smiled, and took the picture back. Before Brad could react, Thessaly pulled Brad’s sunglasses off his face, and stared into his eyes. The eyes were the window to your soul, as they say and she was always good at reading souls. One look told her which Endless Family member had a hand in Brad’s life. "Tell me, Brad, do you still have nightmares of the night Adam left you?"  
  
"What?" Brad snatched his sunglasses back with a strange look.  
  
"Have you started sleeping around again to forget that night or to remember it always?" Thessaly asked another question, enjoying Brad’s confused reaction, “Are you trying to lose your sanity or restore it?”  
  
Brad stepped away from her in surprise and turned his attention to another girl, dismissing her words as the babbling he often heard whenever he was around Adam’s nervous fans. A lot of times what Adam’s fans said made no sense….this was no different.  
  
Thessaly watched Brad leave the hotel, laughing inwardly at her discovery. She looked at the fans following Brad, still trying to ask him about Adam’s whereabouts and whether they were back together as she left, amazed that they would idolize someone who was lost so easily. But then again, they didn't know, did they? But Thessaly knew. She saw it in Brad’s eyes. There was no doubt, no question in her mind which Endless had touched Brad.  
  
In Brad’s eyes, she'd seen the reflection of a little polka-dotted butterfly.  
  
*************************************  
  
(1) Christopher Alexander  
  
  
  
  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam has always believed in following his dreams.

"Hello."

Adam looked around him with a start. He was in the Throne Room of Dream's castle again, seated at the long table as before, with Dream at the head, and Tommy across from him. "Hi."

"Oh cool! Hey man!" Tommy reached out his hand, greeting Dream like an old friend.  
Dream stared at Tommy's hand in confusion, and then bowed his head. "It is good to see you both well. It has been some time."

"I met a woman who knew what my locket was." Tommy told him, making a face when Adam scowled. "What? He probably already knows, why shouldn't I tell him?”

Adam frowned. He'd just rather spend the time with Dream talking about things they didn't know, instead of what they already did know. "You said her name was Thessaly."

"Yes. I am well aware of the Thessalian."

"She told Tommy that your Family has taken an interest in me and my friends. Why?" Adam asked.

Dream chuckled quietly and shook his head. "My Family has an interest in all mortals, our function is to serve them, just as the Thessalian's function is to cause trouble for the Endless."

"So what you've done for us is nothing special?"

"What motive do we have for otherwise?"

Tommy protested, "But, she said…"

Dream raised his hand, "Enough. I will hear no more of the Thessalian's lies." He turned his gaze to Adam. "You signed a pact with her. You must retrieve it."

"I did what?" Adam's eyes widened and he stared at the man in surprise.

"She tricked you, as is her nature. Now she has your signature. You must get it back."

"But…how?"

"She also has the mark of another one of your friends. Brad."

"She didn't seem like she wanted to hurt us…" Tommy argued. "She was explaining stuff to me."

"She was using you to get to me." Dream replied evenly. "It is sport, to her."

"Tell us what we want to know then, and we won't need to ask her." Adam challenged. "Why is she after Brad? He's never met you guys."

"I will tell you some of what you ask, but first, hear me this. Thessalian has a weakness, in that her quest for knowledge is total and absolute. She is seeking information. If you can figure what knowledge it is she seeks, you can use that to get back that pact."

"How did she get it, though?" Tommy asked. "I would have recognized her in a heartbeat."

"You may not have seen her, or she may have been in another form."

"Then how do we stop her from getting our signature again? We can't not sign autographs." Adam looked at Dream in exasperation. "I’m a public figure, hiding out isn't an option."

"As I said, when you learn what information it is she seeks, you will know her weakness."

"If she's trying to get to you, wouldn't it then be information about you? What could we possibly know about you she doesn't?" Adam shook his head. "No way, this doesn't stack up."

"She is most likely drawn to your talent. One such as her is surrounded by ugly things; such beauty would be irresistible to one as starved for life as she."

"Where's your sister?" Tommy interrupted, looking around the castle.

"She is elsewhere."

Tommy stood up and started wandering the room, opening doors and peeking in. "Can I go see her?"

"No."

"Sit down, Tommy," Adam whispered. Why did Tommy act like a hyperactive kid all of a sudden?

"Let him be," Dream told Adam. "We will continue our discussion while he searches for what he will not find."

"Thessaly told Tommy that Desire had touched him, that it was the reason for his success."

"As I said, she lies."

"About what, though?" Adam met Dream's gaze evenly. He had to admit, the idea that Desire had something to do with the way Tommy looked was almost believable, every day that passed, the better looking he got, and he had been stunning to begin with; which had made things extremely difficult for Adam when Tommy first joined his band.

Dream pursed his lips and stared back at Adam. "Your talent is your own."

"What did Desire do to Tommy?" Adam's eyes narrowed to slits, and he tried to look intimidating at the dark man.

"Our function is to serve mortals." Dream said calmly. "Any involvement Desire had in Tommy's life was for that purpose."

"Thessaly mentioned a purpose…what is it?"

"Her purpose?"

"Yours."

Dream regarded Adam evenly. "To maintain order in my Realm."

"Then why are we here?"

"You needed to be told about your signature."

"Why is Tommy here, then?"

"He needed to be warned about the Thessalian."

Adam frowned. "Can I sing for you again? In return for more information?"

"Another time, perhaps." Dream waved his hand, and Tommy reappeared at the table. "Did you enjoy your journey, TommyJoe?"

"It was pretty neat! Adam, you wouldn't believe some of the things just walking around here."

"Good, Tommy," Adam muttered, still staring at Dream. "Neither I nor Tommy is a child here. Plus many years have gone by since we first met you. You have not explained yourself any better at this meeting than you did our first few. I have a hard time believing you would have treated William Shakespeare so poorly."

Tommy's eyes widened as he heard Adam's words. "Dude, are you sure you wanna make him mad?" he whispered.

The corner of Dream's lip curled up in a wicked smile. "So you do believe yourself to be his equal."

"Did I not make that clear the first time you asked?" Adam shot back.

Dream shook his head. "No. You did not."

"Our forms of artistic expression are different, but I have contributed as much as he did." Adam replied. "I sing, I write music, Tommy here plays instruments and writes as well. As you said, I will be remembered for more than my wealth."

Dream nodded approvingly. "You have taken my advice to heart."

"I know good advice when I hear it."

"What do you wish to know?" He looked at Adam.

"Is there a heaven?"

"Yes."

"Hell?" Tommy asked.

"Yes."

"Devil?"

Dream shrugged. "The last time Lucifer was seen, he was playing piano in a nightclub in Las Vegas."

Tommy's mouth hung open as he stared, his next question caught in his throat. "Wha?"  
Dream turned and looked at Tommy. "Yes?"

Tommy's brow furrowed and he shook his head, he must have heard the man wrong. "Um, my question was about you guys."

"Us guys?"

"The Endless. Can you, like, fall in love with mortals? Have kids and stuff?"

Dream's skin paled, if that was even possible, appearing translucent. "The consequences are great."

Tommy's eyes widened. "But it has happened."

"You do not know of what you ask." Dream shook his head. "Such things are events of which creatures like the Thessalian prey on."

"How so?" Adam asked.

"They expose us to weakness." Dream said quietly. "They are better left unspoken, and you two should return to your world."

"We're not done asking questions," Adam protested.

"I have nothing more to tell you," Dream replied. "You each still have the token I bestowed upon you?"

"Never take it off." Tommy told him.

"Good. Use it well." He bowed his head in goodbye and waved. "Until we meet again, farewell."

*************************************

Tommy woke up in bed with a shock, his eyes wide open. "Shit!" He jumped out of bed and threw on a pair of shorts, charging out of his room and down the hall of the hotel floor to Adam's, where he banged on the door until it opened. He was again on tour with Adam. "Did you…" was all he could get out, before Adam covered his mouth and pulled him into the room.

"She's in the hall," Adam hissed, closing the door and bolting it.

"Who?"

"Thessaly." Adam sat down on the couch and rested his head in his hands. "I went into the hall to get some ice after waking up, and she was standing right there."

"What does she want?" Tommy asked softly.

Adam shook his head. "I don't know, I turned right around and came in here. Then you showed up."

"Should we go talk to her?"

"He said we need to find out what she wants."

"So let's go." Tommy's hand was on the doorknob, he was just waiting for Adam's ok before opening. He couldn't help but wonder if he could get her to tell him something more about Death as well, after all, it couldn't hurt to pump her for a little information when trying to find out what she wanted, right?

Adam bit his lip nervously, then nodded slowly. "Ok."

Tommy opened the door with a flourish and stepped into the hall, looking around cautiously. "I don't see her…"

Adam walked out behind Tommy and turned in a circle, making sure he looked in every corner. "I know I saw her."

"I'm here." A voice came from back inside the room.

They both spun around to find Thessaly sitting on the couch in Adam's suite, legs crossed, calm as day.

"We didn't see you walk in." Adam told her, walking back into the room with a frown.

"I didn't." She replied calmly. "You must be Adam."

He nodded slowly, looking her over. "And you must be Thessaly. I would like my signature back."

She laughed, and looked at him over the thick lenses of her glasses. "Why would I do that? If you're foolish enough to sign anything, why shouldn't I benefit?"

"You said you were going to help me." Tommy said to her, the frustration in his voice clear. He wasn't a child, but he still had trusted her.

"I am, TommyJoe." She turned her gaze to him with a grin. "Don't you want to know about the Endless Family?"

"Yes." He replied with a nod. "More than anything."

"What do you want?" Adam asked her, his voice stern.

"There are two of your number I have yet to meet. I would like to." She told him.

"And in return, you give me my signature, and Brad's?"

She shrugged. "If I must."

"Fine."

"What about the Endless Family?" Tommy asked her.

A smile crept across her face. "Next time you see your friend Morpheus, ask him about Rose Walker."

"Rose Walker?" Tommy repeated.

Thessaly stood up with a grin. "I will return to collect on our agreement. Until then," she looked at Tommy and winked. "Remember the name Rose Walker." And with that, she was gone.

"Rose Walker?" Tommy's eyes couldn't have opened any wider, as he stared at the space that had previously been occupied by Thessaly. "She just disappeared."

Adam nodded slowly. "Dream said she lies; don't take anything she said seriously."

"What if Rose Walker is a real human person, like us?" Tommy looked at Adam. "We have to look, at least."

"Fine, we'll look."

****************************************  
****

"Rose Walker is a disgustingly common name." Two weeks later, Tommy threw down the pencil in his hand with a frown. They had spent their two off days to collect the addresses of over 5,000 Rose Walkers in the US alone, and going through them was not an enjoyable task.

Adam nodded, looking at the laptop screen in front of him. "I don't know how we'd ever figure out which Rose Walker is The Rose Walker."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you the best things in life are the hardest ones to get?" A soft voice asked from across the room, and both men whirled around to face the source. "I'm here to collect." Thessaly waved two pieces of paper in the air. "Introduce me to your friends, and I return these to you."

"Is knocking a mortal invention?" Adam asked her sarcastically, standing up. "Come on, let's get this over with. We are meeting our friends in a café nearby."

Thessaly shrugged and stood up, following Adam and Tommy out and into his car. Once at the café, they spotted Kris and Isaac. "Oh my god!" She squealed at the sight of them, sounding just like any other fan of theirs. "It's so cool to meet you!" She gushed, and ran over to both of them, grabbing their hands and jabbering away.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Tommy whispered to Adam, staring at the spectacle she was making.

"Making sure Isaac and Kris don't question who she is, I guess." Adam shrugged.  
Thessaly congratulated Kris on the birth of his first child, and grabbed his hand, staring into his eyes. She looked into the depths of brown, her eyes widening when she got the answer she sought. With a quick thank you to Kris, she turned her attention to Isaac, asking another pointless question before turning her gaze to his eyes. His eyes were dark, and more difficult to read, but she was an old Thessalian, and had many years of experience with more difficult subjects. In no time she had her suspicious confirmed, and once Kris and Isaac asked everyone’s orders and went to get them, she turned to Adam and handed the autographs to him with a smile. "Thank you."

"What were you doing?" Tommy asked her.

She smiled wryly. "As I said, the Endless should not interfere in mortal affairs. I see now they have here."

"How?" Adam interjected, grabbing her wrist and squeezing it tight. "I'm sick of this talk around bullshit you and Morpheus seem to specialize in. I want answers."

"Rose Walker." She replied, and disappeared before their eyes, leaving Adam holding empty air.

"Fuck." Adam looked at his empty fist in disgust. "What did she see in Kris and Isaac?"

Tommy shook his head. "I don't know."

"And how do we find Rose Walker?"

He shook his head again. "I don't know."

***************************************

As such things tend to happen, real life got in the way of Tommy and Adam's obsession with the Endless family for some time, and their research fell to the back burner. Adam had another child, and Tommy finally settled down and married one of his off-again on-again girlfriend of seven years.

But, to everyone's surprise, Adam Lambert continued on, his music growing with each album, refining his art, and once again, he found himself on tour, with time on his hand to do nothing other than remember the past.

One night, Tommy and Adam decided to go to a club. They were in London, and it had been a long time since the two of them had just hung out together. They found a dark, quiet bar with a woman playing guitar, and took a table, sitting down to enjoy the music.  
Across the room, neither of them noticed the red haired woman give a start when they walked in, her eyes growing wide as she stared at Tommy. She whispered to the woman sitting next to her, who also turned to stare. She lit a cigarette and examined him closely, trying to determine what course of action to take. Finally giving in to curiosity, she got up and sat down next to the men at the table, completely perplexed when Adam reached for a pen.

"Here," Adam signed a napkin and handed it to her, expecting her to leave.

"What's this?" She held up the napkin and looked at him curiously.

"My autograph?"

"Why would I want this," she handed it back to him with a frown. "I wanted to talk to him." She pointed to Tommy.

"You don't want my autograph?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Why would I? Who are you?" She asked, a smile creeping over her face. At least these guys were cute, whoever they were…

"It's not important," Tommy shook his head, "why did you want to talk to me, then?"

"You look familiar to me." She told him. "Have we met before?"

"I don't think so," he looked her over closely. She was cute, with shaggy cut fire engine red hair, and a button nose, but not really his type. Strangely sexy, however, he would have remembered her.

"My name's Rose Walker," she offered.

Tommy's mouth fell open, and he stared at the woman. "You're Rose Walker?" He'd given up hope of ever finding her. Rose Walker had been filed away with Death as another one of those things he'd never get to see in his lifetime.

"I'm Adam, and this is Tommy," Adam introduced them.

"You do know me." She said softly, looking into Tommy's eyes.

"We were told of you years ago." He explained.

Rose stood up and shook her head. "It is not safe for us to talk here. I live nearby, will you come?"

Tommy and Adam both stood up at once, willing to follow the woman anywhere.  
Rose told her friend where she was going, then lead the men to a boarding house a block or so from the club. She let them into her room and closed the door behind them, bolting it securely. "Things have been getting weird again, we can't be too careful." She explained.

"Weird again?" Adam asked.

"Something's going on." She shrugged. "I don't know what; I don't understand everything that happens with them; but something bad."

"Who are you? Why were we told to talk to you?" Tommy asked her.

Rose turned to look at Tommy, leaning in close to him. "Look into my eyes, Tommy. Tell me what you see in there."

Tommy leaned forward to stare into her eyes, feeling himself swim in the deep blue. He saw a fire light behind her iris, and leaned in closer, trying to see what was just out of view. With a gasp, he pulled away, not sure if he'd seen what he thought he had.

"What…"

"You saw?" She met his gaze steadily, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Tommy nodded solemnly. He'd seen fire, a heart, and….himself. "How?"

"That's Desire you see, Tommy." She told him. "I see it in your eyes as well." She turned her stare to Adam, and examined his green eyes closely. "You have been touched as well."

Adam shook his head, "I have never been told anything of the kind. Just Tommy."

Rose laughed. "If someone told you to talk to me, there must have been a reason for it. And Tommy wouldn't be the reason."

"Desire never touched me." Adam insisted.

"No, Desire didn't." Rose agreed. "Dream did."

Adam's eyes widened. "But…why?"

"Who are you guys?" She asked them, looking at them closely. "You were ready to give me your autograph…why?"

"He is a singer." Tommy explained, pointing at Adam. “And I’m his bassist.”

"What’s your name?" She asked impatiently.

"Adam Lambert." Adam replied.

Rose snorted, then covered her mouth as a giggle threatened to burst out. "I'm sorry for laughing, but why does it seem so appropriate that the Endless created Adam Lambert and his band?"

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked her angrily. "He almost won American Idol and then we auditioned for his band. His talent’s brought him success, nothing else."

"But you did have an important role in his success, Tommy. Remember AMA? The Glam Nation tour? Your looks and your chemistry with each other on the stage not help in your success?" Rose looked at Tommy, her expression growing kinder when he blushed under her stare. "You're insanely attractive, surely you know that."

"Has nothing to do with it," he mumbled.

 

"And you, was it your drive, your determination…your dream that helped you to succeed? You have the tendency to gather amazingly unique and talented people around yourself," Rose looked at Adam, the expression on his face telling her how on target her guess would be. "I would bet that someone in your circle of friends is the wild one, deliriously crazy even, and another would be, let's see, who else is there…."

"Enough!" Tommy interrupted her with a glare. He didn't like hearing this…they were not the Endless Family.

"Let's face it; you have had more success than any other musician in your generation." She shrugged. "Even I've heard of you and your band, and I hate pop music. Do you really think it's natural for someone to be that talented or successful?"

"But why would they do that?" Adam argued. "Dream told me himself he had better things to do."

"Amusement?" Rose offered. "We're entertainment to them, the sooner you understand that, the sooner you'll get the Endless Family."

"We…so you're mortal?" Adam asked.

Rose laughed, "Yes, of course. I'm a normal 35 year old girl, thanks. You're both mortal as well, I see."

Tommy nodded. "We're the same age."

"The last woman we met who knew about the Endless wasn't human…Thessaly." Adam told her.

Rose snorted. "You're best off staying far away from Thessaly, she intends to destroy the Endless, and doesn't care who she takes with her."

"She told us to find you," Tommy said.

"I wonder why…not like her to be so helpful."

"What do you know about Death?" Tommy asked, shooting a glare at Adam when he groaned. "I may be married, but I still want to know, OK?"

"Death?" Rose's eyes narrowed as she looked at Tommy carefully. "Now I see why she told you to find me."

"Why?"

"Tell me, when was the last time you'd thought about Death? Before tonight, I mean?" Rose asked.

Tommy bit his lip as he thought. "God, not in years….not since before I met my wife."

"And when did you first think of Death tonight?"

"The second I saw you." Tommy replied.

Rose nodded. "Desire is a powerful thing, is it not?"

"What do you have to do with desire?" Tommy asked, confused.

Rose laughed. "Thessaly was hoping to give you some sort of false hope, to further tease you with Death."

"How so?"

"Desire is my father." She explained.

Tommy's eyes widened and he stared at Rose. "So the Endless can have mortal children."

Rose nodded solemnly. "Morpheus has as well."

"A child?" Adam asked for clarification.

"He had a son." Rose explained. "A long time ago."

"What happened?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. I think very few people do."

"Does Thessaly?" Adam asked.

"I would imagine so," Rose sighed, "She seems to know all sorts of stuff like that."

The three continued talking until the early hours of the morning, Rose trying to answer every question they had about the Endless family, and the workings of the Universe. They were frustrated with how little she seemed to know, but as she pointed out, there was a Universe's worth of stuff to know, it was bound to seem like she didn't know a lot. Finally, with the sun rising over the river in the distance, Rose said goodbye to her two new friends, glad to have made their acquaintance.

******************************************************

Nothing escapes me. No one escapes me. – Death, The Seventh Seal

Tommy stared at the doctor blankly, his mind not comprehending the words he'd just heard. "What?"

"Kris has less than 24 hours left to live." The doctor repeated solemnly. "It's a miracle the heart attack didn't kill him right away."

"No!" Katy shouted, pushing away the arms of Adam trying to hold her. "He can't die, not now."

"Katy, please," Adam said softly, tears streaming down his face.

Tommy shook his head stubbornly, ignoring the wetness forming in his own eyes. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a locket he wore around his neck. He hadn't taken it off in the 30 years since it had been given to him, not even for his wedding. He hadn't dared, he'd always known that someday he would need it, and when that moment came, he needed to have it right then. Quietly, he walked out of Kris’s room, giving Katy and Adam some privacy. Even though he had never been very close to Kris, knowing he was very dear to Adam and that he shared something with Kris made coping with the news quite hard. Pain was evident in Adam’s eyes and Tommy could not bear to see his best friend like that. If there was even a chance that he could stop all this, he had to try his best. He owed Kris and of course Adam that much. He popped open the locket and looked at the strange symbol inside, rubbing it in his hand. "Morpheus," he whispered, staring at the stars. "Tonight, we talk." Returning the locket to his neck, he walked back into Kris’s room, hoping that somewhere out there, someone heard him.

**************************************

"You called."

Tommy's eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness. It looked like he was in the Throne Room of Dream's castle, but there were no lights, just candles. "You forget to pay the electric bill?"

"I apologize," Dream swept his arm in the air and the room lit up. "I forget about mortal eyes."

"Where's your sister?" He asked.

"I told you once before, I cannot call my sister for you."

"I won't let her take Kris and hurt Adam like that!" Tommy said, making his way to the sigils on the wall. "This is her, right?" He pointed to the ankh.

"Yes," Dream said cautiously. "But you cannot use that to call her."

Ignoring Dream's words, Tommy grabbed the ankh in his hand tightly and thought as hard as he could about Kris, and how much he wanted to save him. "Come on Death, show yourself."

"I’m warning you, you do not understand what you do when you call for her," Dream told Tommy.

"I don't care! I will not let Kris die!" Tommy shouted back, shaking the ankh. "Where the fuck are you?"

"If he really wanted to see me that badly, you could have called me, brother." A gentle voice chided softly.

"You shouldn't be here." Dream looked at his sister, shaking his head slowly. "It is not safe."

"I will be fine." She smiled from ear to ear, and turned to Tommy. "Now let me get a look at this boy who sent my sister into such a tizzy."

"That was a long time ago," Tommy couldn't help but smile under the woman's gaze. He'd never seen anything so beautiful, her porcelain skin, her jet black eyes, he felt like the giggly teenager he hadn't been in a long time. He'd nearly forgotten his obsession with the woman known as Death, the fantasies that had fueled his dreams for years. Had Dream known he'd been dreaming about his sister like that?

"She'll never forget it." Death grinned, and looked Tommy up and down slowly. "You're a cutie. So, why did you call?"

Tommy blushed from ear to ear, nearly forgetting the reason for his visit. "Kris."

She looked at him and shrugged. "What about him?"

"Don't take him."

She sighed and reached up to brush Tommy's hair out of his face. "You have a good soul, and the face of an angel, and I know you mean well. But when his time comes, his time comes, there is nothing any of us can do to stop it."

"You didn't take him before, Adam told me." Tommy insisted.

"It was not his time."

"You decided it wasn't his time, though!"

She shook her head. "It was written."

"But if you weren't there to take Kris that night, why were you in the hospital room?"

"I met Adam that night." Death said softly.

"And?"

"If she had not met your friend that night, what path would your life had taken? A different one, I'd bet." Dream asked.

Tommy nodded slowly, lost in thought. His love for music, his choice in his wife, everything had been inspired by the Endless family, and the information him and Adam had gleaned on them over the years. They'd affected his life profoundly, and it had all started that night in Kris's hospital room. "So you being there that night had nothing to do with Kris?"

"My being there that night had to do with my being there." She smiled, and winked at Tommy. "I was supposed to be there, so I was."

"You are not supposed to be here, sister." Dream told her angrily.

"Oh shush, you spaz." Death peered into Tommy's eyes. "I was Adam’s fan when he was on Idol. He was really good, they all were, but especially Adam. Kris was quite good too."

"Then why are you doing this to Kris?" Tommy asked her quietly. "Adam really loves Kris you know."

"All good things must come to an end," she replied softly.

"But why?" Tommy argued. "Why do you exist if not to make decisions like this? To decide someone doesn't have to die!"

"Tommy," Dream said consolingly, "You have dreamt your whole life of seeing Death. Most people don't get the pleasure of seeing her until they die. Isn't that something to look forward to?"

"You exist so we look forward to dying? That's bullshit." He spat out. "I don't want to die, and I don't want my friends to die."

"I'm sorry Tommy, but it has to be so," Death put her hand on his arm and stroked his skin softly. "It has been written." She turned to Dream and waved. "I gotta go little brother, see ya!"

"She said it was written," Tommy stared at Dream, his eyes wide, terror filling his heart. "Oh no, not yet, I have to see him."

"Then go."

**************************************

Tommy jumped out of bed the second his eyes were open, throwing on clothes as he ran to the car. He drove to the hospital at lightning speed, running into Kris's room past his family sleeping in the waiting room. "Please tell me I'm not too late," he charged into the room, thankful to see his friend still breathing.

"Tommy," Kris turned his eyes towards the sound, his head moving slowly, his voice strained with the effort. "What are you doing here buddy?"

"I had to be here, Kris." Tommy sat down next to the bed and covered his hand with his, holding it tight.

"I'm scared," Kris confessed, his eyes filling with tears. "I don't want to die."

Tommy let out a small sob and shook his head, stroking the skin on Kris's hand steadily. "You don't have anything to be afraid of, Kris."

"Are you ready, Kris?" A gentle voice asked him, and a flutter of wings could be heard.  
Kris looked up to see a beautiful woman standing at the foot of his bed, her dark hair flowing around her shoulders. "Who are you?"

Tommy couldn't hold back his tears anymore and openly sobbed as he saw Death extend her hand to Kris. He felt Kris's hand leave his to reach for hers. “God, no.”

Kris sat up in bed, surprised to feel the pain in his chest was gone. "It's OK, Tommy," he said softly. "I'm not scared anymore." He placed his hand in hers, reveling in the softness of her skin against his, feeling calmed by her beauty. Wherever she was taking him, it could only be good.

"I'll take care of him, Tommy, I promise." Death looked at Tommy with a smile. "He lived a good life, he deserves a good death."

"Goodbye, Tommy," Kris said one last time, before turning to Death. "I'm ready."

Death nodded solemnly, and clasped both of Kris's hands in hers. "Then let's boogie."

And they were gone.

Tommy sobbed when he heard the heart monitor flatline, his heart feeling like it was going to tear apart. He choked out a strangled cry of pain. He laid his head on Kris's chest, unable to bear the silence he heard in there. Where was his heart beating? Why couldn't he hear it?

Adam ran into the room, followed closely by Isaac, and Katy and their children, all of them knowing exactly what had happened the second they heard Tommy's scream. "Tommy…"

"Leave me alone," Tommy smacked away Adam's arms, returning his ear to Kris's chest. "Just let me listen a little longer…"

"He's gone, Tommy, you're not going to hear anything." Adam said softly, a tear rolling down his face.

"How could she take him?" Tommy turned his red eyes to Adam, feeling completely lost. "They fucked with us our entire lives, and the one time we ask them for something, they say no."

"We ask them for what?" Adam's eyes widened and he stared at Tommy. "What did you do?"

Tommy smacked his chest hard, his eyes blazing. "Do you see my locket Adam? It's gone. I used it. And the fuck didn't help."

"Oh Tommy…" Adam grabbed Tommy in a hug, ignoring Tommy's struggle against him. "Kris's gone, there's nothing anyone could have done to stop it."

"I should have been able to do something," Tommy wailed, his tears soaking Adam's shirt. "We’ve shared this connection all these years. I feel like a part of me is gone. Why do they exist if they couldn't help us? Why did they do this to us?"

"I don't know." Adam had never hated three words more in his life. It seemed like he was saying them all too often. I don't know. Maybe Kris knew now…he held back a sob and tightened his arms around Tommy, holding on tight to one of the three members in his circle of friends he still had left.

 

*******************************

Ignorance is bliss. - Thomas Gray

"I'm sorry to hear about your friend," Rose handed Tommy a cup of tea and sat down across from him, noticing the flinch in his cheek when she spoke. Tommy bit his lip and counted to ten before replying. Kris had died nearly six months ago, but he still had a hard time dealing with it. He would forever curse Death for taking his friend away. "Thanks."

"How have you been otherwise?"

Tommy shrugged. His children were growing up, away at school. His wife was getting bored and starting to look at other men. And his career didn't exist anymore. "Fine."

Rose looked Tommy over curiously. "Why are you ruining your life like this?"

"Her family fucked up my life, then took Kris."

"Fucked up your life?"

"You said they touched me. Adam. I bet they touched Brad and Isaac and Kris too. Why the hell would they do that just to let him die?" Tommy asked, his voice raising as he got worked up. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Everyone has to die sometime," Rose shook her head. "It was your friend's time."

"But why now? Everyone has to die when they're old, Rose, not when they're still living."

"The saying is, everyone has to die sometime, Tommy, not everyone dies when they're old." She said with a sigh. "You're lucky, if you haven't been affected by death before."

Tommy's eyes narrowed to slits and he stared at her. "Not affected? I lost my dad years ago, now Kris is dead, and I'm lucky?"

"You're lucky Kris just died now, yes."

He rolled his eyes in frustration. "That's bullshit."

"You said you first saw Death at Kris's bedside. You could have lost him then, or earlier, even. You might never have met him. But you didn't. You had all these years to get to know him. Remember the time you had together, and cherish it. But don't destroy the time you have left mourning him. He wouldn't want you to, and if you've learned anything, it's that there's a very good chance he's up there watching you right now."

Tommy took a deep breath and looked at her, nodding slowly. "He's probably very pissed at me right now," he smiled slightly.

"Then get your act together and make him proud." Rose smiled. "You still have your talent, use it."

"I don't know if I can." Tommy confessed with a scared frown. "I've never felt so alone."

"You're not." She shook her head. "You never will be. Haven't you learned anything?"

Tommy looked into her eyes, grinning a little when he saw the now familiar fire in there. "I suppose I have."

"Good."

"I still don't understand how she can exist if not to help people, though." Tommy said stubbornly. "I don't think I've ever not understood so much in my life."

"Tommy, didn't anyone ever tell you knowledge has a price?" Rose asked him softly.  
Tommy nodded. Dream had, many years ago.

"Do you think you've figured out what that price is, yet?"

"No…"

"The more you know, Tommy," Rose looked at him with a wry smile. "The more you know you don't know."

****************************************

"Five have become four." The woman said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin as she spoke.

"Yes." Dream replied, looking steadily at the woman. "What do you want?"

"The one who died. He bore the mark of Destiny."

Dream shrugged nonchalantly. "So what if he did."

"He died anyway."

"Everyone mortal dies, Thessalian. Why must you bore me with such idiocy?"

"Just like your son." She hissed, enjoying the way he jumped at her comment. "Your circle is breaking apart, as is your Realm."

"The circle has never been mine, and my Realm is under my control, as ever." Dream brushed off her statement as ridiculous. "Adam and his friends served their purpose."

"Which was?"

"Music invokes emotion, does it not?"

Thessaly crooked an eyebrow at Dream. "So?"

"Music inspires dreams, desires, despair."

She laughed and shook a finger at him. "Why you sneaky fox. The usual methods of inspiration weren't working with mortals, so you created musicians?"

Dream shook his head in annoyance. "There are no usual methods, Thessalian."

"And you have no issues over killing one of your own?"

"The fifth was not one of mine."

She shrugged, "your brother's, then."

"My brother did his part, as did I."

Thessaly took off her glasses and peered at Dream carefully. "You're lying to me. You don't work with your siblings like that, I know you."

Dream shrugged. "Believe what you wish."

"It couldn't be that simple."

"Nothing ever is."

***********************************************

Tommy threw down the pencil in frustration, staring at the words on the paper. It just wasn't working. He'd published a few songs the year before, an inspired group of songs about heartbreak and death. He used music to work through his depression over Kris's death, and found something of a rebirth in putting the thoughts down on paper. Become a father twice in the last few years hadn't hurt either, seeing his own eyes smiling up at him from a child's face was the most awe inspiring thing he'd ever seen. He understood then why Death was so beautiful. Anything that gave life such as this had to be….  
But now he was trying to write about something a bit less depressing, since he wasn't feeling so awful anymore, and it just wasn't working. It was a cliché that a happy artist was a bad artist, but it was strange to find the saying strangely accurate in his own life…  
He looked up at the knock on the door, thankful for the interruption. "Hey babyboy," he waved in his old friend, glad to see him. "What's up?"

Adam held up an envelope. "Brad sent me this." Brad had launched an extremely successful career as a musician and comedian, and had been touring the world for the last few years, selling out arenas and stadiums left and right.

"I heard from Isaac the other day," Tommy offered, accepting the envelope. "He's working with his new band in New York."

"Cool," Adam smiled, sitting down to watch Tommy open the package. "I think I finally finished that song I'd been working on." He smiled, remembering his happiness at finally finishing the passage. He'd fallen in love with songwriting over the last few years, giving up producing and performing all together, and concentrating solely on writing songs for other artists.

"Oh wow," Tommy pulled out the pictures and started going through them with a grin. They were old pictures of Adam and Brad; he was in a few of them himself. It must have been from Brad's personal collection. "Look at us, we were so young."

Adam nodded, blinking rapidly as tears formed in his eyes at the sight of Kris. How he missed his best friend.… "So long ago."

"We will always be five, you know." Tommy met Adam's gaze steadily, ignoring the tear that slowly made its way down his cheek. "Kris's there, watching us."

Adam nodded again, and his hand wrapped around the locket at his neck. "I've wondered if I could use this to see him again."

"He's dead." Tommy said mournfully.

"What does that mean, though?"

"It means he's dead," a deep voice replied. "I'm knocking."

"Most people do that on the door." Adam smiled wryly, turning his head to look at Dream. "I didn't use the locket."

"You said you would sing for me again." Dream said.

"A long time ago." Adam replied cautiously. He hadn't actually sung in front of an audience in years, neither had Tommy.

"I have need for entertainment." Dream replied. "If you comply, I will answer one question from each of you."

Adam and Tommy looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. Could they perform after all these years? With the prize they were being offered, they had to try.

"Fine." Adam nodded. "We accept...”

"I will see you in your Dreams, then." The man nodded, and was gone.

That night, both Tommy and Adam expected to be visited by the dark man, to have their opportunity to ask their questions. But that chance never came, and they moved on with their lives, wondering when the man would come to collect. Never imagining how closely their own world had become intertwined with that of the Endless, never realizing for one of the Endless to die, they first had to lose another of their own…..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me much, please! I swear, this story has a mind of its own. It has taken me places without my consent. I practically have no control over it. It's sneaky and unpredictable. Also, since I am too impatient, this part is posted unbetaed. I will post the betaed version later.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam has always believed in following his dreams.

"Hi." The woman sat down at the table next to Isaac, smiling at him through the thick lenses of her glasses.

Isaac finished off his shot of tequila before turning his gaze to the small woman, looking at her through hazy eyes. "Hi."

"Want another? On me?" She gestured to his empty glass and smiled. "You look like you could use it."

Isaac nodded and watched as she waved to the bartender for a refill. His life had been going downhill lately, feeling a darkness inside of him he'd been unable to shake. Sophie has passed away a few months ago, and his children were working on careers of their own…they didn't need dad in their way. He had not felt wanted or needed in a very long time. He was in New York, among the pretty people, trying to work with the new band he had recently joined, but all he could see was hate, and death. He wanted no part of it anymore, and tequila worked to numb the pain. To an extent, anyway. He raised the refilled glass in the air and threw it back quickly, wincing as the liquid burned his throat.

"Want to get out of here?" The woman offered, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "No questions…you look like you could use a friend."

Isaac's eyes narrowed as he examined the woman. Something about her looked familiar, but there was nothing about her he recognized. And she certainly didn't seem to know him. Then again, not many people did, with his long hair and scuffy beard, he was a far cry from the man he had been just a few years before. He shrugged, and followed the woman out of the dark bar and to her car. He got inside, not caring where they went, not paying attention as she drove them through the streets of New York.

They finally stopped at an old, worn down house, parking the car in the small driveway out front.

"It's not much, but it's all mine," she smiled lightly, and waved him in.

Isaac followed her in, quickly finding her couch and sitting down. "Got anything to drink?" He asked.

"Sure, hon," she found a bottle of tequila in her cabinet and sat down next to him, holding two glasses, "Here."

Isaac accepted the bottle and poured both of them a shot, downing his quickly. "Thanks," he mumbled, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What's wrong? You don't look happy," she asked softly.

"What's your name?" Isaac looked at her, still feeling an uncomfortable twinge of recognition.

"I'm Thessaly," she replied, knowing he wouldn't know the name.

"I'm Isaac." He replied. Ever feel like your best days are behind you? That it's all downhill from here?" He turned a pair of teary eyes to her.

She nodded. "I was just thinking this morning I should just end it. Why live it if it's only going to get worse, right?"

Isaac nodded emphatically. "Exactly. I think my family can handle me leaving. So why stick around?"

"If you really feel that strongly, Isaac," Thessaly summoned up the most compassionate tone she could, "then you really should just go for it. It's your life, after all."

"Yeah, it's my life." Isaac agreed; his mind swept up in the idea. If he just ended it all, he wouldn't have to hurt anymore.

Thessaly pushed him towards a mirror, telling him to look at himself. "What do you see, Isaac?" She stared at his reflection, hoping that he was seeing what she thought he would be.

Isaac's eyes widened as he stared into the mirror. Despair's realm was filled with mirrors, such is the way you see in, but he didn't know that, of course. But looking into his own eyes in the mirror, he saw her. She turned a set of familiar tear stained eyes to him, and smiled pitifully. "What…" he stumbled away from the mirror in shock, falling down on the floor in surprise.

"You had a lot to drink, nothing," Thessaly reassured him, hiding her grin. It didn't matter if Isaac dismissed what he'd seen as hallucination, the damage had been done. He'd seen a place that felt like home to him, and that sensation would not let him go.

Isaac returned to his hotel a few hours later, a bottle of prescription pills in his hand. He was still fuzzy on the details of what had happened tonight, but he was sure about one thing…he hadn't felt so good since he'd decided tonight would be his last night on earth. This hopelessness, this despair, it was familiar to him, and embracing it was the only option he had left.

Isaac walked into his room and pulled a bottle of water out of the mini-bar, having an idiotic thought about not wanting to mix alcohol with pills. He poured the bottle of pills into his hand, and filled his mouth, swallowing heavily with the water. He repeated until the entire bottle was empty, and his stomach full of the deadly medicine. "Goodbye," he whispered, pulling out a photo album to flip through while he waited for the end to come. "I will miss you all."

"Then why'd ya do it, silly?"

Isaac sat up in surprise, seeing the beautiful woman sitting on the couch across from him. "What?"

"Why did you do it, if you're gonna miss them?" Death sighed, and extended her hand. "Don't you know what kind of trouble you cause when you do stuff like this? Come on, let's go."

"Go where?" Isaac put his hand in hers and stood up, his eyes widening when he saw his body remain on the couch below. "Am I dead?"

"Yes."

"Do I get to see Sophie, then?"

Death looked at him through a pair of sad, tired eyes, shaking her head slowly. "I'm afraid not, Isaac."

"But why not?" Isaac stared at her and jerked his hand back in protest. "Wait, I don't want to go, not unless I can see Sophie."

"You were touched by Despair, Isaac, I'm afraid that's where you're going now." She firmly grabbed his hand and pulled. "You chose this fate for yourself, it was not written this way."

"But, no, please…" Isaac fought her as hard as he could, but she was stronger than she looked, and they moved on steadily. "I didn't mean to, please…."

"It's times like this I really hate my job," the woman grumbled, and walked on.

***************************************

"Four have become three." The woman smirked.

"Are you pleased with what you've done?" The dark man asked solemnly. "Condemn an innocent soul to an eternity of torture?"

"Your time is done, Morpheus," Thessaly smiled. "For that, yes, it was worth it."

"His time had not come yet."

She shrugged. "Soon enough, it would have. What's a year or two here or there."

"An eternity for suicide, Thessaly," Dream hissed, his eyes blazing with anger. "He lived a life of despair; his death should have been free of such pain."

"Whatever. Do you think Delirium and Desire will stop me if I go after the other two? I know you won't be able to stop me if I try to touch the third one," she grinned and cackled, an evil, mean laugh. "You're not going to be around now, will you?"

"I may not be here, but I assure you, whoever is in my place, will destroy you." Dream replied evenly. "You will pay for what you've done."

"Sure I will," she waved. "I have a funeral to get dressed for. I'll see you later, Dream."

"Not in my lifetime, Thessalian."

****************************************

***  
  
Tommy looked around him in surprise, laughing when he saw the gray tuxedo he was wearing. "Oh this is definitely interesting."  
  
Adam appeared next to Tommy, dressed similarly, although his tuxedo was black. "I guess we're dressed for the performance."  
  
"You guys finally made it," a raven flew into the room and landed on Tommy's shoulder.  
Tommy shrugged off the raven, frowning when he swore he saw the damn bird smirk. "Your boss asked us to perform for him three years ago. We've been waiting for a while."  
  
"Well, the boss has been waiting. Tonight's a big night." Matthew flew around his head in a circle, enjoying how much he was annoying the blond man.  
  
"What's going on tonight?" Adam asked.  
  
"Ooh, I don't know if I should say," Matthew buzzed around the room quickly. "Bad stuff."  
  
"We're here; don't we have a right to know what we're involved in?" Adam challenged.  
  
"You're just entertainment," Matthew chirped. "It's the boss who's saying goodbye."  
  
"Saying goodbye?" Tommy's eyes widened and he grabbed the raven in his hands. "Stop talking like your stupid boss and explain yourself."  
  
"Ow. Let go!" Matthew's wings flapped until Tommy let him go, and he flew to Adam's shoulder and landed with a sigh. "Morpheus does things he shouldn't at times, all people do. He likes playing with mortals."  
  
"Like he played with us?" Adam asked.  
  
Matthew shrugged, as much as a bird can shrug. "Creating your circle of friends was something beyond the Endless Family."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tommy stared at the bird perched on his friend's shoulder.  
  
"Some things are just meant to be." Matthew's beak flapped as he looked at Tommy. "Your circle of friends has nothing to do with the situation at hand, not really anyway, although losing two of you like that didn't help."  
  
"Losing two of us, what?" Tommy's eyes widened and he stared at the bird.  
  
"When people protected by the Endless die, it's not good for the Endless, ya know?" Matthew stopped speaking with a quick chirp when he realized they didn't know about Isaac yet, since it had happened since the two men had gone to sleep for the night. "Not important. Anyway…"  
  
"What is the situation at hand?" Adam asked, not catching what Tommy had about 'losing two.'  
  
"Morpheus is being blamed for the death of a child of a mortal woman. This woman, with the help of a vile, despicable creature, is using the past to destroy Morpheus now." Matthew sighed. "Boss made a biiiiiiiiig mistake a long time ago. He's gonna have to pay for it now."  
  
"What did he do?" Tommy's eyes narrowed as he looked at the bird, his earlier question forgotten for the time being.  
  
Matthew's voice fell to a hushed whisper as he flew between the two men, and waved with his wing for them to move in close. "He killed his son."  
  
Tommy gasped and took a step back. The Endless were essentially good, or so he'd thought….how could he do something so evil… "How?"  
  
"The method is not relevant, he did, for reasons more complicated than either of you can understand. And for that, Lyta is able to seek revenge for her son." Matthew spoke softly, and both men had to strain to hear him. "Boss is a good guy, but sometimes he has to do bad things. It sounds trite, and superheroish, but it's true."  
  
"How can he be destroyed, though? He's immortal." Adam asked in confusion.  
  
"The Endless are immortal. Morpheus can be killed, though." Matthew shrugged. "I don't quite get it myself, although he explained it to me. There will always be a Dream, but he will not always be Morpheus."  
  
"So we're here to perform at some party where he's saying goodbye, because he's going to be killed?" Tommy couldn't believe this. He'd been feeling great in his life, happy for the first time in years, and now he was singing at some warped funeral for a God. Talk about a mood killer.  
  
"Yes. His sister will take him after this." Matthew flew into the air, his wings flapping wildly. "Are you ready?"  
  
"No…" Adam shook his head, but he followed the bird into the other room anyway.  
The two men found themselves in the front of a large hall, filled with people and creatures the likes of which they had never seen. They recognized some people, as well as members of the Endless Family standing around, but most were just nameless, ageless faces, probably older than any of them could imagine. They took their spot in front of the audience, and once Tommy made sure the guitar left for him on the little stage was OK and nodded at Adam, he began singing the same song he'd sung for Dream so many years before. It only seemed appropriate…given the party they were singing at. When they finished, they were met with thunderous applause, and Dream came over to thank them.  
  
"I promised both of you answers." Dream waved them into another room, and waited for them to sit before speaking. "I know Matthew explained to you why you were here today. Thank you for your performance, my guests appreciated the entertainment."  
  
"No problem," Tommy shrugged, not exactly sure what else to say.  
  
"Now, for your questions. Adam?" Dream turned his black eyes on the man, looking at him curiously.  
  
Adam raised a pair of tired eyes to look at Dream. He was starting to feel old….sitting across from a dying immortal. "Kris….is he in heaven? Will I see him there someday?"  
  
Dream nodded slowly. "Of that you can be sure."  
  
Adam let out a deep sigh of relief, and buried his head in his hands, surprised by the tears that came to his eyes at the knowledge. "Kris was right all along." His faith had always told him he'd be in heaven someday.  
  
"Tommy, your question?" Dream asked softly, "I do not mean to hurry you, but time is running short."  
  
"Why?" Tommy asked.  
  
"Why what?" Dream looked at Tommy in confusion.  
  
"Why have Adam meet Death, why make me fall in love with her, why did your family touch every one of us, why take Kris away after making sure we all have our parts in creating something so special. _Why_?" Tommy repeated in exasperation.  
  
Dream shook his head slowly, "I cannot give you all the answers you seek."  
  
"Just one," he whispered pitifully.  
  
"Your friend was scared to die. Because of your love for my sister, you were able to take his fear away." Dream said softly. "Kris was not afraid when he died because of you."  
  
Tommy gasped as tears sprung to his eyes. "I…really?"  
  
"Yes. That is one reason. The true numbers of reasons are infinite." Dream stood up. "Thank you both for your performance tonight. We will not meet again." He looked at them both, and disappeared as he spoke the words… "wake up."  
  
*******************************************  
  
That night, millions of people around the world dreamt of a wake. It was an awesome, immense celebration, of a creature who had served his function well, but in the end, proved to be as human as the mortals he so loved to tease.  
  
In the morning, very few thought to question the nature of their dream, assuming it was just another strange dream that one often has, with creatures that can only come from the imagination floating around.  
  
Two, in particular, knew that the dream was something more and they gathered for breakfast at Tommy's house, determined to figure out what had happened the night before. Not only were they pretty sure Morpheus was dead, but a feeling of dread had come over both of them, making them wonder what else had happened. You couldn't kill a kind of god without consequences, could you?  
  
"Was that his funeral?" Tommy asked softly.  
  
Adam nodded, "I think so."  
  
Tommy looked up with a sigh as the phone rang. "I wonder if that's the producer, I owe him a song." He picked up the phone and softly said hello, his eyes widening in horror as he heard the voice on the other end. "Oh shit," he whispered, and dropped the phone, sinking to the floor as the immensity of the news hit him.  
  
"What?" Adam was up like a bolt of lightning, catching Tommy as he crumpled to the floor. "Who was on the phone?"  
  
Tommy held on to Adam for dear life, tears falling down his face as he struggled to get the words out, "That was Brad…Isaac's dead." Fifty years may have passed since the day the two men had first met, but Adam would always be able to comfort Tommy like nobody else in the world, and he clung to him, needing the support.  
  
Adam felt his heart sink into his chest, and his arms tightened in a vice grip around Tommy in reaction, "What happened?"  
  
"He killed himself," Tommy whispered in horror, thoughts flying through his head at the speed of light. They'd been told that Kris had gone to Heaven…did that mean Isaac was now in Hell? God, what had he done?  
  
"Why…how?"  
  
"I don't know," Tommy pulled away from Adam, his eyes focusing on the locket around the older man's neck. "But there's one way to find out."  
  
"Tommy," Adam grabbed the locket and held onto it tight. "I don't know, Morpheus was buried last night, do you think we can do this now?"  
  
"Not now," Tommy shook his head. "We do it right this time, and we go prepared."  
  
"OK," Adam nodded. First they had a friend to bury. He couldn't believe it…for the second time, they were burying a friend.  
  
**************************************  
  
Adam sat alone at his favorite restaurant, eating his favorite dinner, reading his favorite paper. His life was filled with favorites these days….he felt like he might as well make sure what he did in the time he had left he loved to do, right? After all, if he'd learned anything, it was that nobody knew how much time they had left, even those who were supposed to know. In two weeks, he would be meeting Tommy in London, where they would go visit Rose Walker one more time. They'd kept in touch with the woman over the years, knew that she was still single, and trying to live her life alone, without the Endless' interference. They would need to try to convince to her to one again, explore the world of the Endless.  
  
"We meet again." The woman said in a soft voice, looking down at him with a grin.  
Adam whirled around to glare at the woman. He'd know that voice anywhere.  
  
"Thessaly."  
  
She nodded solemnly, and sat down across from him at the table. "I must ask; how are you feeling?" She looked at him curiously.  
  
Adam shrugged, "Fine. What do you want?"  
  
"I was just wondering if you'd feel any sort of pain…being that Morpheus is dead, and all." Thessaly smirked. "Whether or not you choose to admit it, his effect on your life is undeniable."  
  
"My life is my own." Adam stood up and glared down at her, his eyes blazing. "I will ask you one more time, then I'm leaving. What do you want?"  
  
"Such a shame about Isaac…" Thessaly mused softly.  
  
Adam dug his fingernails into his palms, hard, concentrating on the pain to keep himself from hitting the woman. He had to stay calm, had to hear what she had to say about Isaac… "What about him?"  
  
"To take your own life, that's awful." She shook her head slowly. "But I suppose that's what happens when you're touched by Despair, huh."  
  
"He lived with Despair his entire life, Thessaly, what pushed him over the edge?" Adam hissed, his blue eyes flashing black sparks.  
  
Thessaly's eyes widened under the thick frames of her glasses as she saw Adam's eyes react. "Morpheus…" she breathed. “He lives in you."  
  
"Tell me." Adam grabbed the woman's wrist and squeezed tight, praying she wouldn't disappear on him again. "What did you do to Isaac?"  
  
Thessaly laughed wryly, and plucked Adam's hand off of her wrist delicately. "I just showed Isaac his own reflection."  
  
"What?" Adam frowned, but she was gone. He stared at the empty space in front of him and shook his head. One of these days…that woman would get what was coming to her. One of these days.  
  
Of that he was sure. For another thing he'd learned from the Endless, was that what goes around, comes around. Even if it takes a lifetime….it comes around.  
  
********************************************  
   
The three met in Rose's apartment, which had barely changed in the decades since their initial visit. A bit shabbier around the edges, but overall, a place locked in time, a world that belonged to Rose, and nobody else. The two men were showing signs of age, Adam had recently begun to lose weight, and he was having a hard time putting it back on. And Tommy, Tommy's beloved hair was thinning, and it took all of his strength not to constantly fuss with it. He wondered every day if the touch of Desire on him was fading, or had it disappeared entirely.  
  
"Morpheus is dead." Rose said softly.  
  
"But how…"  
  
"Thessaly," she sighed, and took a sip of her tea. "She kept looking, kept hoping….Kris dying, Isaac killing himself, on top of Lyta's son; that was what she needed."  
  
"What did she do, though?" Adam asked, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"Introduced one person to another, started a chain of events that lead to his destruction."  
  
"So who's running our dreams now?" Tommy asked. He knew he'd dreamt since the night of the funeral, his dream book was always filling with new stories and thoughts.  
  
"Another Dream." Rose pushed a strand of graying hair away from her face with a sigh. "When one Endless is destroyed, another is created. His role can't be empty."  
  
"Then why didn't they just create another Destruction?" Adam asked.  
  
"He's not gone, he quit." Rose explained. "He's out there, somewhere, still alive. He just doesn't want to do his job anymore."  
  
"So what if we use this?" Adam slipped the necklace from around his neck and held it up. "We want to find out where Isaac is."  
  
"Isaac killed himself," Rose said softly.  
  
"Yes." Tommy nodded, tears filling his eyes again at the memory. He never would understand why….they were pretty sure someone…Thessaly…had given Isaac a little push in her quest to take down Dream, that the despair Isaac had lived with his entire life wouldn't have been enough alone to drive him to take his life, but they had to know for sure.  
  
"You can guess where he is."  
  
"We need to know." Adam said firmly. "We want to use this. Will you come with us?"  
  
"Me?" Rose's eyes widened. "How will I help?"  
  
"You're Desire's child, it's gotta mean something to them," Tommy pleaded. "Please, we don't know this new guy; we need all the help we can get."  
  
"Alright," Rose nodded slowly. "For your friend."  
  
Adam popped open the locket and rubbed it in the palm of his hand. "I know Morpheus is gone, but that is the name I was told to use to with this token. Come to me in dreams tonight, keep your promise."  
  
***************************************  
  
All three had difficulty falling asleep that night…but finally the last one fell into a deep sleep, entering the realm of Dream.  
  
"Hello."  
  
Tommy, Adam, and Rose found themselves standing in Dream's Throne Room, facing someone they'd never seen before. The man was pale white, as Dream and Death were, but with grayish white hair, and wearing an outfit that might have been seen on Robin Hood…if Robin Hood wore all white, that is.  
  
Tommy's eyes widened, and he had to stifle back an adolescent giggle. "He's wearing tights," he whispered to Adam with a smirk.  
  
"Shut up," Adam hushed Tommy with a wave, a quick smile escaping before he turned to the man. "Hello. I am Adam, this is Tommy, and this is Rose."  
  
The man nodded and walked towards them regally, holding his head high. "I am aware."  
  
"And you are?" Rose asked, one eyebrow cocked.  
  
"I am Dream." He tilted his head to regard them curiously. "You knew that when you used your token."  
  
"Morpheus is dead." Adam said.  
  
Dream nodded. "Yes. I am not Morpheus. I am Dream."  
  
"So you will honor his token?"  
  
"As I must," He said with a shrug. "Debts must be paid."  
  
"We want to know where our friend Isaac is. We think he was unfairly used as a pawn to destroy Morpheus." Adam had practiced exactly how he was going to phrase this, wanting to impress upon the man how awful the situation was.  
  
"He is with my sister." Dream replied evenly.  
  
"Which sister?" Rose asked quickly.  
  
Dream turned to look over Rose carefully. "You are my kin."  
  
"Yes." She nodded.  
  
"And you are here to help these two with their friend?"  
  
"Yes." She repeated with another nod for emphasis.  
  
"Your friend Isaac took his own life. He is suffering the punishment of all suicides." Dream said softly.  
  
"But he didn't mean to!" Tommy shouted angrily. "I mean, I know Isaac, he couldn't have…he shouldn't have to suffer for it now."  
  
"I'm sorry, that's the way it must be," Dream put a consoling hand on Tommy's shoulder. "He is a suicide."  
  
"It was Thessaly." Adam argued. "I don't know how, but it was her."  
  
"I will not apologize again. This is as things are." Dream turned to look at Adam, then at Rose, then back to Tommy. "It has been interesting meeting with you all. Goodbye."  
  
***********************************  
  
Adam and Tommy returned to America tormented by the idea of Isaac suffering from eternal torture. They both arrived home determined to find a way to save their friend, but all searches for information came up fruitless. They finally resolved to never give up on their friend, but acknowledged that there were some things they were just not able to solve…at least not now.  
  
They continued eyeing all brown haired women in thick glasses strangely, always checking their backs for Thessaly. They knew from Rose that the woman hadn't stopped her mischief, and always knew someday, she would try again.  
  
****************************  
  
_I like the way colors taste. Except I don't like crimsons…or turquoises…especially when they put their heads into their shells and won't play and when you break their shells to let them out they die… - Sandman_  
  
Brad stumbled out from the bar with a man wrapped his arm around his tiny west. "We gonna hit another place, baby?" He asked the man, badly slurring the words.  
  
"Sure, babe," the man replied, tightening his grasp around Brad’s back to hold him up.  
  
"Look, the pretty lights…" Brad pointed into the road and stared at the bright light coming towards him. "So warm," he breathed, swept away by a sudden need to enter the light. "So warm…" he walked towards the light, not noticing when the man pulled away. “Let me be the light."  
  
The men could only shout in horror as Brad's body was smashed by the oncoming truck, its headlights the 'pretty lights' Brad wanted to enter so badly.  
  
Nobody saw the woman standing across the street, grinning from ear to ear as she watched.  
   
********************************  
   
Adam was sitting alone in his house in Los Angeles, working on his latest music project He'd been thinking about the Endless a lot lately, he'd recently been diagnosed with cancer, and knew the end would be coming sooner, rather than later. He also had been thinking about the remaining members of his circle….he hadn't talked to either Tommy or Brad in nearly two years, and missed them both terribly.  
  
When the phone rang, he picked it up with a sigh, hoping maybe one of the two men would be on the other end. "Hello?"  
  
A loud sniffle, followed by a cautious, "Adam?"  
  
Adam's brow knotted as he recognized the sound. Cassidy. Crying. "What's wrong, Cass?"  
  
"Brad," Cassidy broke down into loud sobs, unable to finish the sentence.  
  
"Oh god, no," Adam felt his heart fall into his stomach. Not Brad…  
  
"Yeah, Adam, you gotta get back to LA." Cassidy said softly.  
  
"I'll catch the next flight out." Adam said quickly, and hung up the phone.  
  
Three had become two.  
  
*****************************  
  
_Delirium: I didn't know you could stop being a God.  
Dream: You can stop being anything.  - Sandman_  
  
  
"What happened?" Tommy asked Adam a few days later, after the small funeral had concluded. It had been a tasteful service, in a quiet, private cemetery, something Brad would have appreciated.  
  
"The witnesses said Brad just stepped right in front of the truck." Adam handed Tommy a beer and waved him to the couch.  
  
"Suicide?" Tommy took a gulp of the beer, looking at Adam in surprise.  
  
Adam shook his head slowly. "No, they said he wanted to enter the light."  
  
"Insanity."  
  
"Delirium." Adam corrected.  
  
"You really think so?" Tommy asked. "Delirium, or Thessaly?"  
  
"I think Thessaly used Delirium to kill Brad, like she used Despair to kill Isaac." Adam's eyes filled with tears again, and he shook his head with a frown.  
  
"I never thought we'd be the only ones left…" Tommy said with a heavy heart.  
  
"Tommy…" A tear ran down Adam's face as he looked at the other man steadily, his heart breaking with the news he had to share. "I don't know quite how to say this…"  
  
"What?" Tommy stared at Adam, dread filling his heart.  
  
Adam sighed heavily, and met Tommy's gaze with his own. "I'm dying, Tommy, I have cancer."  
  
Tommy couldn't speak, couldn't think, couldn't move. Not in his worst nightmares had he imagined Adam not being there, leaving him alone.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Tommy," Adam grabbed Tommy in a tight hug, his arms wrapping around him. "I'm so sorry…"  
  
Tommy returned the hug, and shook his head slowly against Adam's shoulder. "Don't be sorry, baby boy…" he whispered, fighting the tears that were trying to come to the surface. He wouldn't cry in front of Adam. Not this time, not now. He had to be strong for Adam, as he'd been for Kris. "Not your fault."  
  
"I got some time left," Adam said softly, almost as a consolation. "Six months, the doctor says."  
  
Tommy's body shook in a sob, and he clung to Adam helplessly as his tears overtook him. "I can't believe it's all over."  
  
Adam gave in to his tears and held Tommy tightly, the two men crying into each other's shoulders for their deaths, and those of their friends before them. "Everything has to end sometime." He didn't know where the words came from, but they seemed right, they seemed to explain the situation perfectly. It wasn't that he'd lead a bad life, or a short one, even….it was just time for it to end.  
  
And for some reason, despite the sobbing man in his arms, and the tears streaming down his own face, Adam felt at peace with that. After all, he'd finally get to see Death again, and that wasn't so bad now, was it.  
  
  
***********************************  
  
_Love belongs to Desire, and Desire is always cruel…- Sandman_  
  
  
Tommy had been in the bar for an hour or so, nursing a beer, doodling on a pad in front of him. He had been sick of sitting at home, waiting by the phone for the inevitable phone call. Adam's condition was growing worse by the day, and yet he wouldn't let anyone near. Only his husband was allowed around him, and the latest, so he told Tommy, was that he was only allowed to see him at ten minute intervals. Being sick, and helpless was killing Adam just as quickly as the cancer, and he tearfully confessed to Tommy that she hoped the end came sooner rather than later now, it was unfair for Adam to have to suffer this way.  
  
It didn't make sense, why some people got to go quickly, without warning, why some had to suffer, why others were cheated of their own just death. Kris, Brad, Isaac, Adam….all had lead fair, honest lives, yet what was a fair death?  
  
"May I join you?" A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.  
  
Tommy looked up quickly, startled. He looked the person standing in front of his table over curiously, wondering what this guy's deal was. Or girl. He wasn't quite sure. "Uh, sure?" Why the hell not. Distraction was what he'd wanted, right?  
  
The person slid into the seat across from Tommy with a smile, flicking a strand of auburn hair into place over soft pink skin. "Do you know who I am?" She? purred, pulling a cigarette seemingly out of nowhere and lighting it with a lighter Tommy never saw.  
  
Tommy looked into the eyes of the creature sitting across from him, having learned by now that the eyes are indeed the key to the soul. He gasped when he saw the fire in there, fire he recognized from his own eyes, and Rose's. "Desire."  
  
She nodded. She felt like being a woman today. Other days she feels like being a man, or both, or neither. He is Desire, after all, and gender has no meaning to Desire. She blew out a perfect smoke ring with a smile. "You have done me proud, TommyJoe"  
  
"I never meant to do you anything." He replied with a frown. "I didn't ask…"  
  
"Of course you did," she interrupted with a wave. "Please god, make that buy me this guitar. Oh please god, let me get this audition," she mimicked. "Please god, make Adam like me. Oh please god, let Adam win his first Grammy. Please god…"  
  
"You're not God." Tommy spat out with an angry glare. This was the person who'd touched his life so much?  
  
"But I heard you, didn't I, Tommy?" She answered evenly.  
  
"So it's all my fault? You all screwed with my life, my friend's lives, because I prayed to god I would get a stupid guitar when I was five?" Tommy's voice rose with anger, and the fire behind his eyes sparked.  
  
Desire grinned mischievously, happy to see her progeny acting so passionately. "You are truly one of my own. And don't go thinking too much of yourself. What was meant to happen, happened."  
  
"Isaac was meant to happen?" Tommy asked evenly. "I'm not sure about Brad, either."  
  
Desire shrugged, "Some things we will never know."  
  
"You owe me." Tommy told her with a stiff upper lip. If he was so much hers, let’s see what he could get out of her, then.  
  
"For what?" She smirked. "The gifts I bestowed upon you, such as they may or may not be, are what made you what you are. You spent a lot of time in my realm, TommyJoe, and women would not have been so willing had you not my mark." He also inspired more than his share of Desire in others, which was why she was so proud of him.  
Tommy's eyes narrowed. Surely she hadn't forgotten the torment his heart had gone through as a teenager, as an adult…even now, as an old man, her voice haunted his dreams. "Death."  
  
Desire laughed, and took another drag of her cigarette. "I forgot about my sister. Still care for her, do you?"  
  
"You know I do." Tommy replied with a shake of his head. "Why do that to me? Make me love her when I could never have her…"  
  
"Do you know what destruction is, Tommy?" She asked him softly.  
  
"Your brother…he left…"  
  
"No, not who Destruction is. What it is. What it means to have something, then have it destroyed. Your heart, your life….do you know?"  
  
Tommy nodded, meeting her gaze. "Thanks to you."  
  
"Don't blame me, Tommy, life is about destruction. Things are built, and torn down, only to rise again in another form." She finished her cigarette and stood up with a final nod. "It has been interesting speaking with you."  
  
"You owe me." Tommy stood up with her, grabbing her arm tightly.  
  
"What do you want?" She asked, staring up into his eyes.  
  
"Isaac out of wherever he is." Tommy answered quickly, there was no question.  
  
Desire looked Tommy up and down steadily, then nodded slowly. "We shall see."  
  
"But…"  
  
And she was gone.  
  
****************************************************  
  
_Your life is your own. Your death, likewise. Always and forever your own. Farewell. We shall not meet again. - Sandman_  
  
  
Tommy stood alone at the large funeral, watching the casket being slowly lowered into the ground, shivering from head to toe. He couldn't believe Adam was gone, Brad, Kris, Isaac…he was all alone. And he was next…he didn't want to end up in the ground like that. He couldn't imagine being buried for eternity…"Two become one…hope you're with Kris now," he said softly, watching Adam's children throw flowers onto the grave.  
  
"I'm sure he is," a soft voice said at his shoulder, and he turned around to smile weakly at Rose. "Surprise," she pulled him into a hug. "You didn’t tell me."  
  
"I didn't realize you'd care…" Tommy said softly, genuinely happy to see her there.  
  
"Of course I cared, Tommy, I wish you'd told me he was sick, even." She squeezed Tommy's hand reassuringly, looking into his eyes. "You know Adam's in a better place now, right?"  
  
"I just don't understand why I have to be the last one left." Tommy shook his head with a sigh, "Adam was the strongest one of all of us, not me."  
  
"There's always a reason, Tommy, you know that." She replied with a shrug. "Pretty service."  
  
"I guess." Tommy shrugged. Funerals….he was attending far too many of them lately, and they were all starting to look the same. "I just want to see my friends again."  
  
"Don't look too forward to it, it's not your time yet," Rose said with a soft laugh. "You can't live what's left of your life praying for death."  
  
"Why not?" Tommy stared at Rose, his eyes full of tears. "I've always loved her, and now it's genuinely time for her to come and get me. Can't she just hurry it up?"  
  
"What about your wife, your kids?" She argued, "Don’t they want you around?"  
  
Tommy snorted, "They will be fine without me."  
  
"Your art."  
  
Tommy started to speak and then closed his mouth shut tight. Years ago, he'd started recording a personal album that contained songs inspired by each member of the Endless family. It was intended to be a release of his frustration, his anger towards them…and also allow him to in some way, at least, let the world know about what else was out there..  
  
"So you're not done yet." She said softly.  
  
"I guess not."  
  
*********************************************  
  
_Destinations are often a surprise to the destined. – The Sandman_  
  
  
  
He walked along the beach, gazing at the sun setting along the water, enjoying the feeling of his toes in the hot sand. His hands were in his pockets, his pants pushed up around his knees, and he splashed in the waves as if he was still the happy go lucky teenager he'd been so many years before. He looked up at the sky and shook his head, remembering with a sigh. Not that he wasn't happy now, or that he hadn't lived a good life. But there was a freedom he'd had then that he didn't have now. That he hadn't had for a long time.  
  
"The innocence, once lost, cannot be regained," he'd once been told. Of course he hadn't believed a word of it. After all, innocence was not something that would be there one moment and vanish the next. Now he knew that the innocence the pale man had been referring to that day so long ago was of course the innocence of the heart, the belief that your world was your own, that your life was under your own power.  
  
And once you realize it is not, that you are all part of a bigger plan, that nothing is as it seems, nothing can ever be the same.  
  
He slowly climbed the steps to his house and opened the door, making his way to his couch. Every inch of the house was a memory, every smell a reminder: The first time he heard his song on the radio, the first time he saw the woman he married, his daughter's first step, his sister's wedding, the first death in the circle of his friends, followed by the next, and the next, and the next.  
  
And now he was the only one left.  
  
His lifetime had been a remarkable one, guided by advisors very few are fortunate enough to know, and he truly believed he'd lived life to the fullest. He had a family, wealth, and yes, as had been impressed on him so long ago, he had been sure to leave his music behind. His art, his writing, his expressions of his imagination would be his legacy. It would live on for centuries to come.  
  
Why had she left him for last? He'd never been the strongest one; he never wanted the responsibility. She'd come for the others, but she'd never wanted him. And all this time, all he had wanted had been her…  
  
He heard a soft giggle from behind him, and felt his heart soar. It was time. "It's good to see you again," he turned to face her, "I've been waiting for you."  
  
"So I've been told." Death smiled at him, and waved to the album case on his case. "What's that?"  
  
"Your brother told me to leave my art behind." Tommy replied with a grin. "I'm doing just that."  
  
"Can I listen?" She asked meekly, batting her eyelashes at him with a smile.  
  
"Of course." Tommy walked over to the stereo player and hit ‘Play’. He carefully studied her face, looking for any sort of reaction. He smiled when she nodded her head with glee. "You like?"  
  
"It's fantastic!" Death jumped up and down, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh wow, Tommy, how cool!" She hugged him and kissed his cheek, "Thank you."  
  
Tommy blushed a bright red and grinned. "Cool. My sister's gonna get it, now that I'm, um, I am…right?"  
  
"Yes, Tommy, you're coming with me." She nodded and took his hand. "Are you ready?"  
  
"Not quite," Tommy pulled back and held his ground. "I told Desire I wanted something….she owes me."  
  
"I heard about that," Death nodded with a slight smile. "But…quid pro quo."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Quid pro quo, TommyJoe. If we do what you ask, we will need something in return." Death's face took on a serious expression, and Tommy could see how menacing she could be when she needed to be, despite the cute girl on the outside.  
  
"I can play another song for you," Tommy warmed up his hands.  
  
"No Tommy." Death laughed, and waved her hand. "Remember when my sister asked you if you knew what destruction was?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
"You do, right?"  
  
Tommy nodded. He'd thought about her question a lot since that day she'd asked it, the meaning of destruction, and how all things really did have to be destroyed, for anything to continue. From destruction, comes renewal, rebirth. "Yeah."  
  
"My brother has been gone for a long time. We have need for someone to watch his realm."  
  
"What?" Tommy's eyes widened and he stared at Death in surprise.  
  
"Someone to tend to the Realm of Destruction." Death chuckled slightly, and grinned at Tommy. "This is what we were preparing you for all along. All the heartaches, all the sadness, all ups and downs you’ve survived. TommyJoe, didn't you ever figure that out?"  
  
"But…" Tommy sat down on the floor with a thud, his legs giving out under him. "Why me?"  
  
"Only those who have flown to the highest of heights know how far down they can fall." She replied evenly. "If you do what we ask, I will grant your wish."  
  
"If I do this, watch over the realm…can I see Adam and Isaac and everyone again?" Tommy asked.  
  
She shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid not."  
  
"But if I don't, Isaac…"  
  
"Quid pro quo." She repeated. "Such is as things are, TommyJoe."  
  
Tommy looked at her, his heart heavy, his eyes tired. He didn't want to go act as some replacement for a missing Endless, he wanted to go see his friends again, and be lazy and dead and stuff. But he had to save Isaac, and if he really had spent his whole life preparing for this…how could he say no? And there was something kinda cool about it…like he'd be living one of the action movies he loved so much. He would be a badass! "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"  
  
"It has been written, TommyJoe." Death smiled. "Come on Tommy, at least you'll get to see me all the time."  
  
Tommy laughed and grinned. "Now that part of this, I think I'm gonna like."  
  
"See, it won't be so bad…"  
  
And so one would always remain.  
  
Not long after, a promise was kept, and one soul created chaos by leaving its torture, as souls can't just _leave_ Hell without their absence being noticed.  
  
Tommy, settling into his role as keeper of Destruction, knew the one task he needed to perform, before all others. He figured it was probably childish, but he had promised Adam he would get revenge someday, and he kept his promises. A small woman, with thick glasses, found herself meeting her end, much sooner than she ever could have predicted. Her soul filled the empty space, and so through Destruction, Hell once again found some sort of order.  
  
So because of the one, some order was restored to a realm in chaos, destruction once again had its purpose, and a soul condemned to eternal torture found its proper resting place among its friends. As with all things, the Universe balanced itself out.  
  
  
_Fin_  
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**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first attempt in writing something in this genre. I know it is not what people in this fandom is used to, but I hope it is not a total waste of time.


End file.
